North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson hosted the Guide Dogs ‘Open Doors’ Parliamentary event.
Over the years Justin has worked with the Guide Dogs on numerous campaigns. Guide dogs can be life changing, they offer independence, mobility, and the chance to live life to the full. However, 81% of guide dog owners say that they have experienced access refusal - that means being told that they cannot enter a business or are challenged about their entry because of their dog.
This is illegal as part of the Equality Act 2010 and if a deeply harmful form of discrimination. Yet, 47% of retail staff and 19% of hospitality staff were unaware that it is illegal. However, the onus is on the guide dog owners themselves to pursue discrimination cases through the courts, which is notoriously difficult and places a great deal of stress upon guide dog owners.
The event heard from both the charity and numerous guide dog owners about very personal and embarrassing situations when access was refused.
Justin set out in his speech how this is a simple fix with a tweak to the legislation. When he was Minister for Disabled People, Justin was approached about the same issue, though specifically in relation to taxis. By tweaking the law, it became the licensing committee who could pursue a discrimination case, rather the individual. This helped on two fronts. It was a clear part of their licence, so awareness significantly increased, and compliance increased as it became obvious that action would be taken.
Justin Tomlinson said"We need to apply the same principle to shops, restaurants, and cafes. This would tackle the poor awareness and the minority of poor business owners who continue to refuse guide dogs, action could easily be taken. This is a win-win. The problem is the lack of awareness, rather than people knowingly discriminating. With nearly half of guide dog owners actively changing plans on which places to avoid, those very businesses are missing out on their custom.
I pressed the Minister hard in my speech to deliver the easy fix that has already be shown to work with taxis. The Minister gave a firm commitment to explore this urgently – a very positive outcome.
