Victory for owners of guide dogs predicted

23.4.02

Speaking in the Commons last Friday, Edward Davey, Liberal Democrat MP for Kingston and Surbiton, backed new legislation to end discrimination by some mini cab firms against blind people with guide dogs.

Many visually impaired people have reported examples of mini cabs refusing to take them and their dogs. There is currently no legislation that obliges minicab drivers to carry guide dogs in their vehicles.

So the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association and the Royal National Institute for the Blind have been pressing for new legislation to end this discrimination, and Edward Davey has backed their campaign over a number of years.

Now a Private Member's Bill is before the House and Edward Davey is helping to back the passage of the legislation through Parliament. He said:

"It is an absolutely staggering state of affairs that some mini cab drivers discriminate against blind people. We have to put a stop to this. The importance of mobility for blind people cannot be underestimated - it is a basic human right"