§ Mr. Andrew BowdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he has given to the implications for elderly people with(a) arthritis, (b) Parkinson's disease and (c) heart complaints of his Department's proposals to reform the orange badge scheme.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyWe propose to tighten the eligibility criteria so that, in accordance with the original aims of the scheme, orange badges are issued to people with severe mobility problems, irrespective of the medical cause.
We shall be consulting interested parties, including organisations representing disabled and elderly people, on detailed proposals for bringing the criteria into line with this objective.