Westminster Diary - 29th June 2006

Thursday, 29th June 2006

People with disabilities often find others make assumptions about what they can’t do. Sometimes however, assumptions about what they can do are just as problematic. Take subsidised bus travel for example. In April of this year, the system governing bus passes changed in Warwickshire, the primary benefit of the change was to allow free bus travel for pass holders – whether retired or with a disability – across the country as long as their journey begins or ends in Warwickshire, but it was not all good news.

Before 1st April this year, those with a disability and a full time job were able to travel during the morning rush hour at a much reduced rate. After 1st April, they were unable to do so. I regret the loss of this provision because of the message it sends. Most of us would agree that those who can work and contribute should be encouraged to do so. Many people with disabilities want to work and benefit from doing so. The rest of us benefit too – we risk otherwise the waste of often considerable talents. Full time employment often requires travelling during the morning rush hour and for the people I am describing, public transport and the bus in particular may be the only practical choice. Quite rightly in my view, the Disabilities Discrimination Act and other legislation has encouraged employers to do more than they used to do to make workplaces accessible in every respect to those with disabilities. Is it not perverse then, that Warwickshire’s councils are doing less than they were doing 3 months ago to help people with disabilities to get to work in the first place?

Council officers tell me that it would be too expensive to provide subsidised travel for the disabled in full-time employment during the morning rush hour. I find that hard to believe given the relatively limited percentage of pass holders such a provision would involve and in any case I am only asking for the position pre 1st April to be restored. Secondly it is suggested that those in full time employment, disabled or not, should be able to afford full fare. This assumes that those with disabilities earn comparable amounts to those with no disability, which is often not the case; and ignores those who volunteer on a full-time basis.

There must be no mixed messages. The contribution made by people with disabilities in the workplace is valuable, all day.

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Updated on Thursday, 29th June 2006