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STATES OF JERSEY
DISABLED PERSONS: BADGES FOR MOTOR VEHICLES – SINGLE OR DOUBLE AMPUTEES
Lodged au Greffe on 17th August 2010 by Senator F. du H. Le Gresley
STATES GREFFE
2010 Price code: A P.112
PROPOSITION
THE STATES are asked to decide whether they are of opinion
to request the Minister for Transport and Technical Services, at the earliest available opportunity, to make an Order amending the Road Traffic (Disabled Persons) (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (Jersey) Order 1982 to the effect that a person applying for a disabled person's badge on a second or subsequent occasion, by reason that the person is a single or double leg amputee, is not required to produce a medical practitioner's certificate in support of the application.
SENATOR F. du H. LE GRESLEY
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P.112/2010
REPORT
A person who has a permanent and substantial disability and who is unable to walk unaided for more than 100 metres without resting is entitled to apply to the Town Hall for a Disabled Person's Badge, commonly known as a blue badge. A person who is registered with the Jersey Blind Society Inc., or has a certificate from that Society to the effect that he or she is blind, may also apply for a Disabled Person's Badge.
The holder of the badge, or their carrier, must display the badge when using designated disabled parking bays in St. Helier . The on- and off-street parking is free provided a parking disc clock is displayed, where required, to indicate the time of arrival of the vehicle.
During my time as Manager of the Citizens Advice Bureau I came across a number of people who complained that the legal requirement to produce a medical practitioner's certificate for each renewal of the badge was highly inappropriate for someone who had suffered a single or double leg amputation. I was reminded of this bureaucratic nonsense during my election campaign by a disgruntled constituent and I promised to look into this matter. As he rightly pointed out, why should he pay every 3 years for an appointment with his G.P. in order to obtain a certificate confirming his continued disability?
Whilst many amputees can be successfully fitted with prostheses, the ability to walk any significant distance is restricted and there will be some days when the stump is too sore to use the prosthesis.
Having read the Road Traffic (Disabled Persons) (Badges for Motor Vehicles) (Jersey) Order 1982, it is quite clear to me that it would be relatively simple to include a clause that excludes the requirement for a medical practitioner's certificate, on a second or subsequent renewal of a badge, where the applicant is a single or double leg amputee. Such an exemption currently exists for a person who is blind or who is registered with the Jersey Blind Society Incorporated.
The Transport and Technical Services Department has been consulted and has expressed no objection to the proposed exemption for single or double leg amputees. However, they have warned that a "creep to embrace more subjective conditions" could create difficulties with the administration of the law.
Financial and manpower statement
Should this proposition be approved, the Minister for Transport and Technical Services will be requested to make an amendment to the Road Traffic (Disabled Persons) (Badges for Motor Vehicles) Jersey Order 1982, which will require law drafting time. The Law Draftsman has confirmed that this can be accommodated as a minor and routine item within existing resources.
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P.112/2010