HC Deb 24 October 1979 vol 972 cc203-4W
Mr. Skeet

asked the Minister of Transport what steps he is taking to prevent abuse of the orange badge scheme.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

I intend to concentrate the assistance provided by the orange badge scheme on those who have the greatest difficulty in walking. It is in their interests above all, in that the orange badge should be respected as a genuine indication that the car user needs to be assisted and enabled to park as near as possible to his or her destination. The misuse of badges leads to frustration and annoyance to the genuinely disabled as well as to other road users.

I therefore propose that the entitlement to claim an orange badge should be restricted to the following four categories:

  1. (i) those in receipt of mobility allowance;
  2. (ii) people of 65 or over whose disability is as great as that of mobility allowance recipients;
  3. (iii) the blind; and
  4. (iv) those using vehicles supplied by Government Departments, or who are receiving grants towards the use of their own vehicles.

In addition, I propose a number of changes designed to limit the use of badges by people not entitled to them.

A consultation paper setting out these proposals in more detail is today being issued by the Department to interested organisations, seeking their views by 31 December. Copies of this paper are available in the Library.