Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing transport fee concessions to all assistants of a disabled individual where that individual requires more than one assistant to use public transport.

This Government is determined to make sure that disabled people have the same access to transport as everyone else, and that they are able to travel easily, confidently, and without extra cost. The Disabled Persons Railcard entitles disabled people and a carer to a third off their rail fares, and the Government provides around £1 billion of funding each year to enable local authorities in England to provide statutory and discretionary concessions for 9.8 million disabled and older travel pass holders.

Local authorities are able to offer additional local bus concessions, such as companion passes for disabled people who require assistance to travel. The detail of such further concessions, including the number of carers who can travel at reduced cost, is a matter for local authorities.

In the Inclusive Transport Strategy, published in July 2018, we committed to conduct a review into the eligibility criteria of the Disabled Persons Railcard. This review will examine the issue of the total ticket cost for a disabled person and their carers.