§ Mr. David PorterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he sought advice from organisations representing disabled people before deciding that eligibility for orange badges should not automatically be extended to those with upper limb disabilities.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe decision that badges should continue to be restricted to people with severe mobility problems was made in the light of representations from the statutory disabled persons transport advisory committee (DPTAC).
The committee's constituent organisations include: the joint committee on mobility for the disabled, the Disabled Drivers Association, the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation and the Disabled Drivers Motor Club. The majority of DPTAC's members are people with disabilities. We have accepted DPTAC's advice. We are taking medical advice on the mobility problems specific to Thalidomide victims. We are also in touch with the Thalidomide Trust and the Thalidomide Society.
Any individual who has a severe mobility problem may qualify for a badge, regardless of the medical cause of the problem.