CARRIAGE OF GUIDE DOGS IN PRIVATE HIRE VEHICLES

Motion Text

That this House supports the aims of the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association 'Access for All' campaign, asking all local authorities responsible for the licensing of private hire vehicles to include within their licensing rules a requirement that guide dogs must be allowed in vehicles with their owners; regrets that a minority of local authorities refuse to respond to the campaign or oppose its aims; recognises that guide dog owners are more reliant than most people on taxis and minicabs to get around and lead their lives; and, in common with the Royal National Institute for the Blind and the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association, calls on the Government to introduce the necessary amendments to the Disability Discrimination Act to place a requirement on private hire vehicles similar to that placed on licensed taxis that guide dogs must be carried with their owners.