A bill aimed to improve access to private transport for disabled people, submitted by Kenilworth's MP, will be debated in the House of Commons tomorrow (January 14).

The Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Bill was submitted to the House by MP for Kenilworth and Southam Jeremy Wright last June.

Mr Wright said "there are still gaps" in the law which make hiring taxis and private hire vehicles (PHVs) difficult for disabled people.

The bill is aimed in particular at people "with walking frames, or with sensory, communication and cognitive impairments".

Mr Wright was selected in the ballot for private member's bills last year, meaning that was one of 20 backbench MPs allowed to propose a change to a current law.

There was no guarantee that the bill would even be debated, as only the first seven MPs drawn are promised a time for debate. Jeremy Wright was number 17.

Only the first seven MPs drawn receive a guaranteed slot for debate.

But the bill is still scheduled to be read tomorrow morning, alongside a host of over private member bills, according to the what's on parliament website.

What does the Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Bill propose?

Whilst the full details of the bill are not available on the UK Government website yet, Mr Wright released a short statement on his website.

He said: "Many wheelchair users and assistance dog owners take advantage of legal rights to get around using these vehicles, and many drivers do all they can to help, but there are still too many accounts of people with disabilities of various kinds being denied vital assistance, overcharged for their journeys or denied carriage altogether.

"Passengers with walking frames, or with sensory, communication and cognitive impairments currently have no specific protection against discriminatory treatment.

"My Bill will oblige drivers of taxis and PHVs to accept passengers with disabilities, to refrain from charging them extra and to provide them with appropriate assistance, unless there is good reason why they should not be subject to these duties."

He added this was particularly important for many parts of Warwickshire where public transport is infrequent.

(Image of Jeremy Wright via parliament.uk)