Disability abuse: 190 fake Blue Badges flagged

The Commission for the Rights of Persons with a Disability was made aware of 190 false Blue Badges since January 2022, information tabled in parliament shows.

Inclusion Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli said 108 fake Blue Badges were identified in 2022 and 82 were flagged in the first six months of 2023.

The information started being collected last year when the commission set up an enforcement division.

The minister said the falsification of the Blue Badge was a criminal act but not its use and legal amendments were being contemplated to address this lacuna.

She was replying to a parliamentary question on fake Blue Badges by Opposition MP Ivan Bartolo, who also asked about the number of Blue Badges revoked since 2020.

Farrugia Portelli said 12 Blue Badges, presumably genuine ones, were revoked by the commission since 2020. No reason was given why these badges were revoked.

The Blue Badge is a legal document that allows persons with disabilities to park their vehicle, or the vehicle in which they are travelling in, in reserved parking bays (blue boxes) due to difficulties in their mobility or other disability.

The badge started being issued by Agenzija Sapport in March 2022, taking over from the CRPD, which adopted a regulatory role.

Persons eligible for the Blue Badge are those who entitled to the Special Identity Card issued by the CRPD and who have a visual impairment, or a severe permanent physical impairment, or a temporary physical impairment, or a severe mental impairment.