Public and Commercial Services Union

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is being reformed to create a new benefit called a Personal Independence Payment (PIP). This will be introduced for people aged between 16 and 64 from April 2013 onwards. The implementation of PIP will affect eligibility for a disabled person’s parking permit, or Blue Badge. The changes will also impact on some carers.

Consultation Scope

The Department for Transport (DfT) is responsible for the Blue Badge scheme in England and is currently consulting on the changes. This consultation applies to England only.

About a third of all badges are currently issued to people who receive the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA. Views of all Blue Badge holders and representative groups are being sought on options for dealing with the proposed changes.

Options

The DfT has identified 3 main options to deal with the introduction of PIP:

1. No legislative link between eligibility for a Blue Badge and eligibility to PIP
2. Establishing a legislative link between Blue Badge eligibility and the enhanced mobility component of PIP
3. Establishing a legislative link between Blue Badge eligibility and those who score eight or more points on the ‘Moving Around’ activity within PI, which assesses a person’s physical ability to get around.

Eligibility for PIP is also being assessed on a different basis to DLA. None of the options, therefore, replicate the existing eligibility criteria for a Blue Badge as this is not possible.

All the options will affect eligibility for a Blue Badge as PIP will start taking claims for new claimants from April 2013 and begin to replace DLA for existing recipients aged between 16 and 64 from October 2013 onwards.

How to respond

In addition to the above, the DfT has invited ideas and suggestions for other practical solutions that would be affordable and would help to support the future sustainability and operation of the Blue Badge scheme.

The consultation period began on 10 July 2012 and will run until 2 October 2012. Please ensure that your response reaches us before the closing date. Copies of the consultation document can be found at:
http://www.dft.gov.uk/topics/access/blue-badge

Please contact Sally Kendall if you would like alternative formats (for example, braille or audio CD).

Please send consultation responses to:

Sally Kendall
Traffic Division
Department for Transport
Zone 3/26
Great Minister House
33 Horseferry Road
London
SW1P 4DR

Closing date 2 October 2012.