Petitioner: Owain Martin
Status:
Closed
Date Lodged:
12 September 2015
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to change the law so that children with autism and Down's syndrome who are under 16 are entitled to a blue badge as those who are over 16 are as is the case in Wales.
Summary:
10 November 2015: The Committee agreed to write to the Scottish Government. Link to Official Report 10 November 2015
12 January 2016: The Committee agreed to close the petition, under Rule 15.7, on the basis that a pilot scheme to extend the Blue Badge Scheme will be undertaken to allow the impact of the charge to be monitored and to ascertain how to effect change on a permanent basis. Link to Official Report 12 January 2016
Written Submissions:
Children with autism and Down's syndrome who are aged under 16 all over Scotland are loosing their blue badges due to the Govenrment welfare cuts that are downgrading most of them from higher rate moblity to middle rate mobility. As a result local authorities are turning down requests for blue badge renewals as you only qualify automatically if you are on higher rate mobility. There is no consideration being taken in to the fact that even though these children can walk they cannot walk anywhere on their own for personal safety reasons. The situation is made even more unfair by the fact that when children with autism and downs turn 16 they change from DLA to PIP and PIP has provsion for granting a blue badge on personal safety reasons. I have started this petition so that children with autism and downs under 16 are treated the same as those over 16. Wales recently changed the law so that this is the case I urge Scotland to do the same.