Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a disability certificate that includes details of a named accompanying person.

While some disabled people may welcome a card or certificate that acts as a proof of disability, we are aware that some disabled people would not wish to carry a card or certificate which confirms their disability or impairment. Some people who may meet the criteria for the Equality Act 2010 definition of disability do not identify as disabled, although they may require reasonable adjustments, and introducing a certificate or card scheme could exclude these persons.

The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on businesses and service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve disabled people’s access to goods and services, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people. This reasonable adjustment duty is an anticipatory duty, meaning that those who provide goods, facilities and services to members of the public are expected to anticipate the reasonable adjustments that disabled customers may require. There is no need for a person to actively prove their disability to be protected by the Equality Act.

There are a number of optional schemes and cards in the UK that have been created to meet particular needs and which people may use if they wish. These include the Hidden Disability Sunflower Scheme which discreetly identifies where additional support may be needed and which is gaining widespread recognition, and Nimbus Disability’s Access Card which can help when communicating with a business about the types of support or reasonable adjustments that might be needed to access their services.

Naming an accompanying person could prove restrictive. A disabled person may have more than one accompanying person or may be accompanied by different people on different occasions.

There are therefore no plans to introduce a disability ID card or certificate at this time.