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Unemployed People: Travel

Asked by Daisy CooperLiberal DemocratDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled Answered 4 February 2025UIN 26591

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing assistance for costs to unemployed jobseekers for travelling to in-person interviews for temporary jobs on minimum pay.

Answered by Alison McGovern

Our new Get Britain Working plan is designed to reform employment support and create a new jobs and careers service to help people into work. We know that travel costs can be a barrier to work for unemployed customers. Currently the Flexible Support Fund is a discretionary non-recoverable fund, that work coaches can use to remove barriers to work for eligible Universal Credit customers, such as assistance with travel costs.

Furthermore, the Jobcentre Plus Travel Discount Card is available to eligible customers to offer reduced rail fares supporting them into employment. The main aim of this support is to improve customers’ job and earnings progression prospects and can include travel to interviews.

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