Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions she has had with a) retailers, b) parking operators and c) local authorities on the appropriate use of parent and child parking spaces.

Parent and child bays are not prescribed or required by national legislation. The Department has made no assessment of the adequacy of parent and child parking spaces, or measures to prevent their misuse, in local authority or private car parks.

The provision of parent and child parking bays in private car parks is a matter for the operator. The government is aware of the enforcement challenges to prevent the misuse of these bays. Whilst there have been no recent discussions with retailers on this matter, the government will continue to work closely with representatives for local authorities and parking operators.