Posted 18.06.2020

This week Disability Action have written an open letter to Dr Andrew Murray, Deputy Secretary, Department for Infrastructure, to seek clarity for our community, who are now contacting us in increasing numbers to find out what the Department’s plans are for minimising disruption and delays around Blue Badge applications/renewals (pdf of open letter).

"I would like to start by taking this opportunity to thank you and your Departmental colleagues for the considerable efforts that are being made to protect us all during this global pandemic.

As an organisation Disability Action have a long history of working in partnership with DFI (and its predecessors) and we recognise fully the immense scale of the challenges now and ahead.

I am writing this open letter to you, to seek clarity for our community, who are now contacting us in increasing numbers to find out what the Department’s plans are for minimising disruption and delays around Blue Badge applications/renewals.

We are acutely aware of the need for and impact of smaller staff teams.  We are also aware that many of the disrupting factors being reported to us are external to / outside your Department’s control i.e. difficulties for individuals in receiving duplicate copies of medical evidence / benefit entitlement and photographs.

As this situation is likely to last for the foreseeable future, we are concerned that challenges being reported in respect of Blue Badges might present disabled people with a further avoidable barrier to societal reintegration and full inclusion ‘post lockdown’.

As an initial first step we would respectfully encourage the Department to follow good practice already adopted in other business areas. Extensions applied around expiry dates are already successfully in place across DFI and indeed other Departments. On this specific issue you will also be aware England, Scotland and Wales – are all exploring or have implemented extensions in respect of expired badges awaiting renewal.  

This is undoubtedly only one of a myriad of issues we will be working together on going forward. We believe though the timely implementation of this initial step and clear public communication of same will provide considerable reassurance for so many disabled people in these challenging and uncertain times.

We look forward to hearing what steps the Department are taking around this specific matter and as ever we remain ready and willing to support around the same in any way requested."

Andrea Brown

Chief Executive Officer (Interim)

Disability Action NI