Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of (a) the effect on vulnerable benefit claimants of the requirement to pay in advance for front travel costs for attendance at assessments and (b) the potential merits of introducing pre-paid travel arrangments for such claimants.

Any claimant who is required to attend an Employment and Support Allowance or Personal Independent Payment assessment will be reimbursed for any reasonable travel costs associated with attending the assessment. The Department and its assessment providers do not pay travel costs in advance and we have no plans to change the current policy which is consistent with other areas of Government such as the NHS Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme.

All claimants who are required to attend an assessment are advised in their appointment letter to contact the relevant provider if they have any difficulty in attending the assessment. Where such situations arise, the Department expects the assessment providers to explore all possible options to ensure that an assessment can be conducted. For example, this may include changing the location of an assessment or undertaking a home visit where a person’s health condition indicates that either they cannot travel to an assessment, or where travel would require high levels of support or cause significant distress.