§ Mr. Alfred MorrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has any plans to increase the penalty for abuse of the orange badge scheme for severely disabled people; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyMisuse of an orange badge already carries a maximum fine of £400. The level of penalty is kept under review. Badges can be withdrawn by local authorities in cases of persistent misuse.
We must make it easier for the police and traffic wardens to spot abuse of the scheme. We have proposed that the orange badge should be redesigned in the form of a more robust personal passport-type of document. There would be space for a photograph of the holder. We shall be looking at ways in which the badge could be displayed which would avoid fixing it permanently to the windscreen, thereby making it difficult to remove. This approach has been widely welcomed by people with disabilities and their representative organisations and by other groups.