Commentary on Sections Section 9: Recognition of disabled persons’ badges issued outside Great Britain
109.This section amends the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 (“CSDPA 1970”) which established the disabled persons’ parking badge (“blue badge”) scheme. This scheme provides for certain parking concessions to operate in favour of disabled people whose vehicles display blue badges. This section (which extends to England and Wales only) introduces new sections 21A to 21C into CSDPA 1970. The principal effect of the new provisions is to provide that the holders of foreign disabled persons’ badges be afforded the same concessions as holders of domestic “blue badges” in respect of parking concessions. The section makes provision to formalise existing (non-statutory) recognition of parking badges issued in the EU or in certain other European countries (for which there is reciprocal recognition), and to extend this recognition to badges issued in other countries.