Although I'm now a member of the committee, I wasn't at the time the inquiry was taking place, but I'd like to thank everyone involved with gathering the evidence and delivering the report on an issue that is important to so many people who use the blue badge scheme. Like other Members, I see lots of these coming through my office on a regular basis, and, actually, the staff in my office have been very, very successful in getting a number of appeals overturned and cases reviewed with the local authority. So, there is a process by which that can happen, but it can be cumbersome and can cause delays, and that's part of the reason I wanted to speak. Because, as often happens, when we get a report submitted like this, we will subsequently see bits of casework that relate directly to the report that was published.

So, I'm going to confine my comments just to a specific area that's been raised with me by a constituent, and it's an issue that's associated with recommendation 4, around the introduction of temporary concessionary parking schemes for certain short-term cases. Now, I realise that recommendation 4 has been rejected by the Government, but it has said it will include this in the review identified in recommendation 1, with consideration given to the Just Can't Wait card scheme. So, in that same review, can I ask you, Minister, to consider the associated issue that was raised with me by a blue badge holder in my constituency who had a delay in the renewal of his application? So, the constituent has suggested to me that where a delay occurs in the renewal of a blue badge, a temporary authorisation, similar to that available to those with short-lived disabilities, could be given until the matters needing clarification or any dispute over evidence are resolved, because, as things stand at the moment, they fall between the gap from the time that they're applying for the renewal until the time it's issued—they have a period where they don't actually have a blue badge. My constituent rightly argues that that would mean that individuals could maintain an acceptable level of mobility while they're waiting for the issue around the renewal to be resolved.

Now, I know that the committee didn't receive specific evidence on the point that I'm raising with you, and so it won't have taken evidence on it. So, I'm just raising it with you now, Minister, asking if you will look at that as part of your review to ensure that people don't fall through the gap when they're going through a renewal of an existing blue badge.