§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has undertaken into the provision of a temporary disability scheme for car drivers to supplement the Orange Disk scheme. [148271]
§ Mr. McNultyThe Blue (formerly Orange) Badge Scheme provides a national arrangement of on-street parking concessions for disabled people with severe walking difficulties or the most severe upper limb disabilities and those who are registered blind. The Scheme was introduced in 1971 since when it has been the subject of several reviews.
The latest review was completed in December 2002. Ministers accepted the majority of the 47 recommendations made by our statutory advisers, the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee, to improve the Scheme. We are taking these forward through changes to primary and secondary legislation, research and in new guidance to local authorities on the 1002W Scheme. The recommendations and the Government's response to them were placed in the House Libraries on 18 December 2002.
On the research side we are pursuing three projects arising from the review: one to look at the feasibility of setting up a database of blue badge holders to assist with enforcement; a second to examine the current exemption from the Scheme for the four Central London Boroughs; and a third to look at the case for extending eligibility to other groups of disabled people.