The Liberal Democrat MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough’s longstanding campaign to remove time restrictions on disabled bus passes was raised in Parliament this week. Tom Gordon questioned the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability on what cross- ministry work the Department for Work and Pensions has done to lift the punitive rules.
The MP backs a cross-departmental approach, wherein the savings that could be made to the NHS by preventing missed appointments, or in this case to the Work and Pensions budget, could justify the cost of getting more people onto busses that are already running.
He’s drawn attention to cases like that of Josie Caven, a Town Councillor and Deaf person who backs the campaign.
Josie said:
When I was invited to my first job interview at 18 I was dismayed to discover that my bus pass was not valid until 9am. The pass dictated the jobs I could take, the hours I could work.
It creates a far bigger bill for the government when they create a barrier to work rather than making sure disabled people can get there before 9am like everyone else.
He asked whether the Minister could outline what conversation’s he’s had with colleagues at the Department for Transport and Treasury about removing the unfair time restrictions disabled people face on their bus pass use.
The Minister responded that he met regularly with these colleagues and that he would raise it in future.
Tom said:
We need these Departments to start joining up the dots. It’s all linked. The nominal saving one department makes denying disabled people basic transport access will cost another department more.
I will leave no stone unturned when it comes to doing away with the silly restrictions on disabled bus passes. Getting to work shouldn’t be a post-code lottery.
We need to do all we can to empower people with disabilities to live independently.
Parliament Live clip: https://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/1c353d6f-c464-44c7-a6b2-e1c91734a075?in=15:34:00
