Unsympathetic bullshit from the Government

One of the issues with being a single limb amputee (the OA is a more recent issue in the other leg) is that you tend to fall between two stools as far as Government help is concerned.

I need a car with an automatic gearbox - that is by far the simplest solution since it requires no modifications at all to a standard car - and in fact my license s only for automatics.

Along came the new rules for Vehicle Excise Duty. Now Dizzy blogged the issue back in March http://dizzythinks.net/2008/03/how-green-budget-punishes-disabled.html whch summed up the position well. Basically would be completely shafted for about £250 more than the equivalent manual.

I wrote to my MP (Labour) and he made a perfectly sensible suggestion that a way round this is that if there are medical grounds for having to drive an automatic then VED should be charged at the equivilent manual car. Now that I have absolutely no objection to: I can choose anything about the car except the gearbox.

He passed the details on to the Treasury for their comment and yesterday the post delivered Angela Eagle's (Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury ) reply to him which he forwarded to me.
I sometimes wonder which planet these people actually live on; whether the understand the day to day practical details that disabled people face.

Most of the reply is a rehash of the Government's strategy of using VED and taxation to reduce carbon emissions but at the end is the “practical” suggestions for me:

“It is not always the case that a car equipped with an automatic transmission will carry a CO2 emissions penalty. To give an example, the Toyata Prius has a CO2 emissions figure of 109g/km which puts it into the VED band B at £35 for 2008-09 and £20 for the following two years. This car is equipped with an automatic continuously variable transmission (CVT), as is the equivalent product from Honda - the Civic Hybrid, also with a CO2 emissions figure of 109g/km
Furthermore, those that experience difficulty operating a clutch on a manual transmission car are not necessarily restricted to automatic transmission cars. It is possible to adapt the vehicle with a semi-automatic clutch, which removes the need to operate the clutch pedal but retains the manual transmissions - and therefore the performance and economy associated with these cars. The Specialised Vehicle Fund is operated by Motability on behalf of the Government to help disabled people with the cost of vehicle adaptations, and this is one of the adaptations available on vehicles purchased through this scheme. "

Now the arrogance of the response is breathtaking:

• Why the hell should I have to go out and spend MY money to buy a car which is totally unsuitable for my needs? I have specific needs including lugging two teenagers built like prop forwards around!

• The Motability point is a canard: I am not disabled enough to get any help from the Government. I pointed this out in my original email to my MP

It is complete bullshit I am afraid.