Doddie Weir’s Blue Badge call

Thursday September 26th 2019

Doddie Weir

Doddie Weir, OBE

Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Luke Jackson

South Scotland MSP, Michelle Ballantyne, has given her support to the campaign for people with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) to receive automatic access to the Blue Badge scheme.

Today’s debate at the Scottish Parliament was secured by Borders MSP Rachel Hamilton whose motion which congratulates Doddie Weir on receiving his OBE and call for automatic access to the Blue Badge scheme for people with MND.

Automatic access to the scheme is argued to be the most appropriate course due to nature of the disease, which leads to a rapid deterioration in a person’s physical ability.

Michelle Ballantyne MSP commented:

“I warmly congratulate Doddie Weir on receiving his OBE and commend him for all his campaigning work which is truly inspirational and which I know will make a huge difference to people with MND in the future.

“I fully support the call for those diagnosed with MND – which we know can be such a rapidly progressing condition – to be given automatic access to a Blue Badge without having to go through a bureaucratic and potentially lengthy application process.

People diagnosed with MND fear the loss of their independence and their mobility and providing them with a blue badge has the potential to help significantly by providing them with easier parking and greater accessibility.”

Doddie Weir, MND campaigner and former Scottish Rugby Player, said:

“Not everyone (with MND) has six months to wait for the blue badge system to kick in and I believe everyone who is diagnosed with motor neurone disease should automatically be entitled to a blue badge, this will enable families to live a dignified and as full a life as possible while coping with this terrible disease.”

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