Question reference: S3W-28975
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
- Date lodged: 16 November 2009
-
Current status: Answered by Stewart Stevenson on 27 November 2009
Question
To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to alter the qualification criteria for the Blue Badge scheme and whether it considers that local authorities should have discretion in the provision of such badges.
Answer
The Scottish Government is currently carrying out a review of the Blue Badge scheme in Scotland, in order to ensure that it is up to date and relevant to those who need to use it. We have established a working group with representation from local authorities, the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland, NHS Scotland and the British Parking Association to take this work forward. As part of these discussions, we will consider whether the qualification criteria are still relevant.
Local authorities already have discretion when making a decision on whether or not to award a Blue Badge. While badges are issued automatically to applicants in receipt of the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance or a War Pensioner''s Mobility Supplement, local authorities can also use separate legislative criteria to decide whether or not to award a badge to an individual with a mobility impairment who does not qualify for either of these benefits.