Reply: I am informed by the Ministry of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity that free parking permits are issued by its Empowerment Unit to persons with severe mobility issues. These parking permits enable persons with severe disabilities to park their vehicles in reserved parking bays within a paid parking zone while easing their access to public places like shopping centres and other amenities. I am given to understand that there are 2 types of parking permits that are issued by the Empowerment Unit, namely –  Yellow Parking permits which are used in any vehicle in which the person with severe disabilities is travelling, and  Blue Parking permits which are used in the vehicle driven by a person with disabilities or a vehicle owned by an NGO in the disability sector which is used for conveyance of persons with disabilities. Furthermore, some 56 parking bays located at strategic places are reserved for disabled persons. These dedicated parking bays are painted in blue by the Traffic Management and Road Safety Unit of my Ministry such that they are easily identified. With regard to part (a) of the question, I am informed that enforcement of the proper use of these parking spaces falls under the purview of the Traffic Wardens and Road Transport Inspectors of the National Land Transport Authority as well as the Police in accordance with Regulation 11(1) (c) of the Road Traffic (Paid Parking) Regulations 2002. In fact, parking spaces reserved for persons with disabilities are regulated under the Road Traffic (Paid Parking) Regulations 2002 and The Road Traffic (Parking Offences) Regulations 2004. Accordingly, Regulation 9 of the Road Traffic (Paid Parking) Regulations 2002 stipulates inter alia that “A vehicle displaying the appropriate sticker issued by the Ministry responsible for the welfare of the disabled may be parked free of charge, for a maximum period of time indicated on the panel in a parking bay, within a pay parking zone.” I understand that the duration is 1 or 2 hours depending in which parking zone the vehicle is parked.

177 This regulation further mentions that “No vehicle other than a vehicle carrying or expected to carry a disabled person and displaying the appropriate sticker issued by the Ministry responsible for the welfare of the disabled, shall be parked in a parking bay reserved for persons with disabilities, within a pay parking zone.” With regard part (b) of the question, I am made aware that despite the acute shortage of staffing at the level of the NLTA Inspectorate, daily crackdown exercises are being carried out by the 30 Traffic Wardens of the Regulator and the Police during the routine checks. To this effect, I wish to inform the House that a total of 1,640 contraventions have been established in respect of parking reserved for persons with disabilities during the last three years, comprising 743 contraventions issued by the NLTA and 897 contraventions issued by the Police. The Disability Unit of the Ministry of Social Integration, Social Security and National Solidarity will be requested to envisage a review of the design of the existing parking permits which are issued to persons with disabilities while taking into account the international standards to circumvent tampering or misuse of these permits. COVID-19 PANDEMIC – THERMAL SCANNERS – PROCUREMENT