Thank you for contacting me about guide dogs.
No one with a guide dog should be refused access to businesses or services because they have a guide dog and everyone deserves to travel with comfort and dignity. Assistance dogs play a vital role in the lives of their owners, enabling them to live independently, confidently and safely.
Guide dogs give people with disabilities the freedom and confidence to work, travel and visit friends independently. There are already strict laws against the discrimination of those who rely on guide dogs.
The Equality Act 2010 clarifies the duties of all people to permit guide dogs without any hindrance to most services, premises and vehicles. Failure to comply can result in prosecution and a fine on conviction of up to £1,000.
The use of guide dogs is supported by guidance on the rights of guide dog owners, including the ability to report those who do not make reasonable adjustments to make a disabled person’s journey easier. Distinctive jackets for guide dogs to wear are available to help clearly identify them. It is also advised that any identification cards, if given, are carried by a person with disabilities to help ensure they are not discriminated against.
The Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Act 2022, which came into force in June 2022, now provides specific protections for disabled people including new duties on taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to carry any disabled person and their mobility aids, to provide reasonable mobility assistance, and to support them in identifying a booked vehicle, without extra charges.
Published in 2018, the Government’s Inclusive Transport Strategy aims for a transport system offering genuinely equal access for people with disabilities by 2030. The strategy commits to enhancing disability equality and awareness training for transport staff, which will better equip them to safely and confidently assist those with mobility challenges, including for guide dog owners. In delivering the strategy, the Government has committed to working with local authorities to improve street design and to ensure streetscapes are inclusive
Irresponsible pavement parking can cause real problems for those with sight loss and for those with assistance dogs. That is why the Department for Transport ran a consultation on potential solutions to the pavement parking issue. Options include giving local authorities civil enforcement powers to enforce against unnecessary obstruction of pavements, and introducing a London-style pavement parking ban across England. The consultation has now concluded and the Government is considering how best to make progress on this issue.
Thank you for taking the time to contact me.