§ Mr. John H. Osbornasked the Secretary of State for Transport how many drivers are authorised to use disabled drivers' notices on their cars; and what evidence he has of the abuse of this 572W arrangement, particularly by others who are not disabled.
§ Mr. HoramA census carried out in the middle of last year showed that there were then about 200,000 holders of orange badges in England and Wales. Evidence of some abuse reaches us from time to time, and we are currently consulting interested organisations about this. However, allegations that badges are displayed by non—entitled persons are not always well founded. Some of the entitlement rules require medical judgment and a layman may sometimes wrongly conclude that a badge has been improperly issued. Non—entitled persons who make use of the parking concessions available under the schemes are committing an offence and are liable to prosecution.