HC Deb 23 May 1973 vol 857 cc440-1
3. Mr. Dempsey

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will extend the practice of affording discs for free parking for disabled persons to blind persons who are also disabled; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Younger

My right hon. Friend has no plans at present to extend the disabled persons' badge scheme to blind persons. The working of the scheme is, however, being reviewed, and the possibility of extending it to blind persons will be one of the matters to be considered.

Mr. Dempsey

Will the Under-Secretary take into consideration the fact that blind persons—I am talking of people who are completely blind—who are self-employed require to carry the tools of their work from house to house, place to place and town to town, that they are in need of constant supervision and attention and have to be escorted into and out of cars and buildings? Surely in any caring society the least we can do for people who suffer such a tragic loss of faculty is to make available to them the same parking facilities as are available to other disabled persons.

Mr. Younger

I certainly share the hon. Gentleman's great concern to do all we can to help blind people, but when they travel in cars they are obviously, by the very nature of things, accompanied by other persons. If a blind person has a disability which would enable him to have such a badge if he were not blind, he can be considered for exemption in the normal way. A blind person in a car will always be accompanied. That is the reason for the distinction.