Concessionary travel passes

Dear Mr Robert Ericksohn, your request for information has been
considered and the Council's response is shown below.

If you are dissatisfied with the handling of your request you should
write to:

Louisa Horton
Head of Corporate and Scrutiny Services
Hinckley & Bosworth BC
Argents Mead
Hinckley
Leics.
LE10 1BZ

Please quote your FOI reference no. and ask that your request be
reviewed under the Council's internal appeals procedure.

If after the appeal process you are still dissatisfied, you can complain
to the Information Commissioner at:

Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire SK9 5AF

Telephone: 01625 545 700
www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk

Regards
Mrs C Gardner
Information Governance Officer

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From: Robert Eriksohn[SMTP:[email address]]
Sent: 30 January 2009 18:43:55
To: Access2Info
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Concessionary travel passes
Auto forwarded by a Rule

Dear Sir or Madam,

I would like to make a request as regards to the concessionary
travel arrangements in your authority under the terms of Freedom of
Information Act.

1. Does your authority provide concessionary travel passes to those
individuals registered with their local Social Services department
as disabled on the grounds of being a mental health user or
survivor? = NO

2. If your authority does have such arrangements why was the
decision taken to extend the scheme in this way and what
arrangements are in place? = Not applicable because the Council
does not have arrangements in place.

3. If your authority does not have such arrangements does your
authority have some other arrangement beyond the statuary minimum
to provide passes to those with mental health issues? = NO

4. If your authority does not have such arrangements why was the
decision taken not to extend the scheme in this way and has
consideration been given to extending the scheme in this way in the
future? =We only currently provide concessionary travel passes to
those with mental health issues who can show that they qualify through
the statutory criteria: that is, people who are medically unfit to hold
a driving licence due to mental illness.

Within concessionary travel legislation - the Transport Acts 1985 and
2000 and the Concessionary Bus Travel Act 2007 - there are no powers
available to extend this generally to all people with mental illness.

In order to issue to all those registered with Social Services as having
mental health issues, we would therefore have to be satisfied that all
those people would be likely to be refused a driving licence on medical
grounds.

Guidance about eligibility for disabled persons' travel concessions
issued by the government recommends that in the case of those with
severe mental disorder seeking a concession on the grounds of being
medically unfit to drive, cases should be assessed individually and if
there is doubt about whether someone would be refused a driving licence,
independent medical advice should be sought. This contrasts with the
advice given in the case of blind or partially sighted or profoundly or
severely deaf people, where local authorities are advised to consult
Social Services registers, and implies that the use of the registers is
not appropriate in assessing those with severe mental disorder.

There are impediments to widening the scheme to those falling outside
the statutory criteria, even if powers could be found under other
legislation to do so. In particular, we would not be able to issue
English National Concessionary Travel Scheme passes to non-statutory
pass recipients. This might both be confusing for bus operators and
drivers and highlight that pass holders had a particular type of
disability. In addition, there is currently severe cost pressure
associated with the provision of the statutory concessionary travel
scheme and it is therefore very unlikely that funding could be found for
a discretionary extension.

5. Would it be possible to provide copies of any relevant policy
documents you may have? = Not applicable. This information is not
held as no such documents exist.

Your assistance is greatly appreciated.

Yours faithfully,

Robert Eriksohn

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