Taxi Driver Online

I have a friend in another area who has been told his licence is to be revoked as he has diabetes, and the council's Doctor, who hasn't examined him, has decided on this course of action.

He has had Type 2 diabetes for several years now without any trouble.

Can anyone enlighten me as to what the normal approach is to drivers with this disease? Any papers that can be produced in evidence to support my mate?

Thanks all.

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Our safety is Paramount

type 2 is the one controlled by what food you eat, and or tablets, thinks it only when the person who has the type where they inject insulin will be rejected from a taxi licence, as the thought is you are on drugs, but an ordinary car licence will be ok to drive

I have been told by my licensing officer that if your own doctor says that the diabetes is under control then your badge is safe because if they try to take it away the LA will loose on appeal. If however your own doctor says that the diabetes is NOT under control you will loose your license. This applies equally to type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It is all about the control of the illness.
Several drivers in my area have diabetes and some inject insulin. Only one has had his license revoked through poor control.

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Grandad,

The recent guidance from the DfT says something along the lines of Type 2 shouldn't mean an automatic ban, and each case should be decided on it's own merits.

Medical Criteria

45. It is clearly good practice for medical checks to be made on each driver before the initial grant of a licence and thereafter for each renewal. It is common for licensing authorities to apply the 'Group 2' medical standards - applied by DVLA to the licensing of lorry and bus drivers - to taxi and PHV drivers. This seems best practice. The Group 2 standards preclude the licensing of drivers with insulin treated diabetes. However, exceptional arrangements do exist for drivers with insulin treated diabetes, who can meet a series of medical criteria, to obtain a licence to drive category C1 vehicles (i.e. 3500-7500 kgs lorries); the position is summarised at Annex B to the Guidance. In the light of the latest guidance from the Secretary of State's Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Diabetes Mellitus and Driving, it is suggested that best practice is to apply the C1 standards to taxi and PHV drivers with insulin treated diabetes.

And in a bit more detail.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/taxi ... 92?page=10

The PCO have even mellowed on the issue.

http://www.tfl.gov.uk/assets/downloads/ ... -02_06.pdf

The diabetic folks have a view.

http://www.iddtinternational.org/living ... ving_taxis

View form the top bods at the DVLA.

http://www.dvla.gov.uk/media/pdf/medica ... mar_05.pdf

In short there is tons of stuff to back up your mate.

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IDFIMH

Many thanks for your help.
Have printed this lot out and my mate feels huge relief that he can fight this.
He's heading to his solicitor with an armload of bullets to fire back at the council.

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Our safety is Paramount

What area might that be?

Regards

JD

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

The mystery unfolds. Reigate and Banstead Council apparently have a POLICY of not licensing anyone with diabetes.

The appeal is set for the end of the month, I hope to be able to report an overwhelming victory for my mate in due course, with costs naturally!

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Our safety is Paramount

I have just re-read the original post on this. Can the council appoint a doctor to make these decisions on their behalf? Can they insist that you use a specific doctor?

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Grandad,

see item 6d NOTE in this link
http://www.pkc.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/5830 ... eactas.pdf

This is refering to a driver claiming an exemption from carrying guide dogs not to a person having diabetes.

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Grandad,

just to show the Council must have their own doctors, maybe just maybe they may not believe other doctors

They would be entitled to solicit another medical opinion. Who's opinion they choose to take and whether it decides reasonably would be for the courts to decide

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

Yes I agree, eventually the courts will decide.

Regards

JD

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Copyright notice © The contents of this post are copyright of JD and are not to be reproduced outside of TDO without written permission.

I wish your mate well, and if I was the legal advisor of the council I would settle well before it reached court.

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IDFIMH

Councils have to be politically correct when it comes to the disabled lobby, if I was your friend, I would be contacting his local disabled lobby group, and they intern I would think would be asking the question, what is the council's policy on disabled Taxi drivers', and how do they justify it. it seems to me that as a diabetic he has to notify the DVLA of his condition and they in turn require doctors evidence before they will grant him a national driving licence...............the point being , they are satisfied he is fit to drive, so on what grounds are the council saying he isn't.

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!