Ask the Experts

Is there a fliers’ buddy system for disabled travellers?

Q I want to fly to Denmark alone but I’m wheelchair dependent. Various airline websites say I can’t do this for safety reasons. Do you know of a flight buddy system for disabled travellers?
Belinda Bruton, by email

Andy Wright says: Your question is a good one, as an increasing number of single travellers wanting to travel are now being prevented on the grounds of “health and safety” or whatever excuse airlines can conjure up to prevent them from having to carry high maintenance passengers!

In view of that, your suggestion of a flight buddy system is a very good idea, and could well become more popular in the future if legislation continues in the same direction. The trouble is, I’m not aware of any such system at present.

You’d probably be best advised to contact an agency that provides carers to accompany holidaymakers. Try activeassistance.com and ask them if they could offer their services simply to accompany a passenger on a flight only.  

Gathering winter fuel

Q I’m on incapacity benefit and DLA mobility and care components, but because I don’t receive income support I don’t qualify for winter fuel payment. That’s really annoying because I’m a single disabled female living alone and it’s tough paying bills and staying warm and keeping fed, whereas I know someone who’s on income support and DLA and lives with his dad, and both he and his dad get the winter fuel payment. Can you tell me how that’s fair and why I have to struggle?
Tracy Paddock, Caerffili

Disability Alliance’s Ken Butler says: From what you’ve said, I think the issue you raise relates to cold weather payments and not winter fuel payments: the two are often confused.

Winter fuel payments are an annual lump sum paid automatically to all those who’ve reached pension credit qualifying age. For both men and women this is being steadily raised from 60 to 65 between 2010 and 2020, alongside the rise in women’s state pension age.

Cold weather payments are different and are weekly payments of £25, paid to certain people when the average temperature recorded or forecast over seven consecutive days in their local area is zero degrees Celsius or less.

In this event, a weekly cold weather payment is made to people already receiving pension credit.

Other people can qualify if they receive income support (IS), income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) or income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and are responsible for a child under the age of five; or are getting child tax credit that includes a disabled or severely disabled child element; or their IS, JSA, or ESA includes one of the disability or pensioner premiums; or their ESA includes the work-related support component.

As you can see, the “qualifying test” applied to cold weather payment eligibility relates solely to being paid one of the means-tested benefits listed.

All of this is on the basis that entitlement to cold weather payments should be means tested and that the best way of doing this is by limiting entitlement to those who meet the income and savings limit rules for being paid pension credit (i.e. IS, JSA, or ESA).

Unfortunately this results in people not qualifying for ESA, even if their contribution-based incapacity benefit is just a few pounds over the ESA income limit.

While you can no longer claim income support on grounds of incapacity for work, you should seek the advice of your local Citizens Advice Bureau or other local advice centre, to see if you are being paid the appropriate care component level of DLA and, in turn, if you may be entitled to ESA.  

Must I let a letting agent inspect us?

Q I’m a full-time carer for my wife, who has multiple sclerosis (MS) and is in a wheelchair. We rent our home and the letting agents want to do an inspection.
My wife lives all her life in the downstairs lounge, either in her recliner or wheelchair, and intensely dislikes the idea of having any visitors in our home. She feels they invade her living space and personal privacy. She is therefore adamant that we do not have an inspection.

Apart from anything else, we have breakfast at 6am; by 9am (sometimes earlier) she’s exhausted and wants to sleep. I don’t want to upset my wife by allowing the agents to do an inspection while she’s asleep. What should I do?
Name supplied

Kate Sheehan replies: Your wife has a complex condition that you manage effectively between you. Change to the routine causes stress, especially on matters that might appear trivial. That said, you probably have a contractual duty to allow inspections.

When you signed your letting agreement, one of the contractual points would have been to allow the landlord or agent an annual inspection. This benefits both sides. It gives the owner the confidence that the tenant is maintaining the property properly and lets the tenant raise any issues that are deemed necessary.

I therefore suggest you try and compromise. Explain your wife’s condition and anxieties to the agent, confirm a date and time that would suit your wife, ask if the inspection can take no longer than 15-20 minutes, and suggest that any preamble is done on the phone prior to the visit.

I’m sure that if you try and work together to minimize the impact on your wife, the visit can be carried out quickly, without too much disruption.

Even if there’s nothing in your contract, refusing a visit would not be viewed favourably by your landlord and might put your tenancy in jeopardy, which would damage your relationship. Compromise is always the best way forward.