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Disability: Blue Badge Scheme

My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Transport (Sadiq Khan) has made the following Ministerial Statement. The Department for Transport has today published a consultation document containing proposals to ensure that the blue badge scheme is more consistently administered, to clamp down on badge abuse and to help more people with severe mobility problems to access services more easily. The proposals form part of the implementation of the comprehensive blue badge reform strategy, published in October 2008. Key proposals include: improving scheme enforcement through amendments to primary and secondary legislation; widening eligibility criteria through secondary legislation; and improving funding to local authorities to help them deliver improved eligibility assessments. We have been working closely with stakeholders in the development of these proposals and will consult on other aspects of the reform programme later in 2010 and 2011. A copy of the consultation document and associated impact assessment has been placed in the Libraries of the House.