Minister for the Disabled as well. The autonomy he had had in Northern Ireland away from Thatcher did not continue in to this role. Scott made no secret of his disquiet at some of the reforms he was forced to put through. His period as Minister for the Disabled saw him come under attack from many campaigners, including his own daughter, a disability campaigner with RADAR, when on behalf of the Government he 'talked out' the Civil Rights (Disabled Persons) Bill, a Private member's bill which aimed to outlaw discrimination on grounds of disability. Despite this he could point to provisions for the disabled being over a quarter greater than they had been at the start of the Thatcher government. He was succeeded in this post by William Hague. Appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1964, he was knighted in the same order in 1995. Scott remained MP for Chelsea until the seat was abolished at the 1997 general election. He was initially selected as the Conservative candidate for the new Kensington and Chelsea constituency, but was subsequently deselected after allegations of alcoholism surfaced following an incident in which he was found passed out in a gutter during the party conference in Bournemouth. Cricket Away from politics, Scott was a keen cricketer and widely regarded as a talented opening batsman. He turned out for a number of clubs throughout his career, including MCC, Free Foresters, and the Lords and Commons Cricket team. A Celebration of Lords and Commons Cricket 1850-1988 (1989) rued the fact that a busy political career had kept him away from the crease for far too many matches. Despite this his batting average was impressive: during a 16-year playing career for the Lords and Commons he scored over 2,000 runs, and in 1972 posted an average of 238 runs. Personal life Scott was twice married. His first marriage to Elizabeth Robinson, by whom he had a son and two daughters, lasted from 1964 to their divorce in 1976. He married secondly to Hon. Cecilia Ann Tapsell, daughter of Bladen Hawke, 9th Baron Hawke, and had another son and daughter Patrick (Paddy) and Amber. Scott died in London on 6 January 2005, aged 71. At the time of his death, he had Alzheimer's disease. Sources Times Guide to the House of Commons, Times Newspapers Limited, 1992 edition. Whitaker's Almanack, 2006 edition. References