Disabled people in the UK must have a guaranteed right to travel abroad, MPs and peers said, after individuals were reportedly barred from holidays by local NHS care boards and councils.
Leading figures urged the government to introduce clear national guidelines ensuring people who rely on 24/7 personal assistants are not prevented from using their funding for breaks and work trips overseas.
Key Facts
- MPs and peers said disabled people need a guaranteed right to travel abroad
- Local NHS care boards and councils imposed restrictions described as “ridiculous”
- Campaigners described practices around funding as “brazenly discriminatory”
- Further cases emerged of individuals barred from taking holidays abroad
- Call made for clear national guidelines on use of personal assistant funding
Who is affected
The reported restrictions appear to target disabled people who depend on funded personal assistants for 24-hour support. According to the source, these individuals have been barred from taking holidays abroad because their local NHS care boards or councils refuse to allow their personal assistant funding to be used for travel. Campaigners say such practices amount to discrimination, while MPs and peers argue that reliance on full-time care should not strip someone of the right to go on holiday.
Personal assistants are typically paid helpers funded through local authorities or NHS budgets to support disabled people with daily living needs. The source indicates that some councils and NHS care boards treat this funding purely as domestic care spending, refusing overseas trips even when requested for rest, recreation or work purposes.
What happens next
Members of parliament and members of the House of Lords have called for the government to publish clear national guidelines. No such guidance has been confirmed by the source, meaning disabled people and their advocates are currently left dealing with a patchwork of local decisions. The source does not state whether ministers will respond, how long any policy process may take, or what form new rules might take.
Until national rules are agreed, individuals affected remain dependent on the discretion of their local NHS care board or council. The source reports that campaigners want guarantees written into national policy so that personal assistant funding cannot be withheld simply because travel takes place outside the UK.
What We Know — and What We Don’t
- Verified by the source:
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- MPs and peers called for a guaranteed right to travel abroad for disabled people
- NHS care boards and councils imposed restrictions described as ridiculous
- Campaigners described funding practices as brazenly discriminatory
- Individuals were reportedly barred from holidays abroad using PA funding
- A call was made for clear national guidelines on personal assistant funding
- Still unconfirmed:
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- No specific numbers of affected individuals have been published
- No named officials or organisations have been identified
- No government response or timeline for new guidelines has been stated
- No details given on how national guidelines would be enforced
- No confirmation of which councils or NHS boards are involved
This dispute sits inside the wider debate about equal access to leisure and travel for disabled people. When public funding that supports daily life is treated as incompatible with foreign travel, it raises questions about inclusion and independence.
Disabled people and their advocates will be watching for a government response. Confirmation of national guidelines, or a refusal to act, would determine whether current restrictions continue to vary across local areas.