Baroness Thomas of Winchester – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester on 2014-05-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to deal with websites offering services to customers wishing to apply for a blue badge parking permit, and which are not associated with the Blue Badge Improvement Service.

Baroness Kramer

To obtain a Blue Badge in England applicants can apply directly via the Gov.UK website or to the relevant local authority. Successful applicants will be charged no more than £10.

The Government’s contractor, Northgate Public Services, has taken a number of positive steps to raise awareness about unauthorised websites. These include issuing a press release warning people about dubious websites, issuing a Bulletin to all local authorities so that they can warn residents, providing advice and awareness to charitable organisations representing disabled people, and ensuring staff at the national Blue Badge support helpline are able to advise the public accordingly.