Rural Transport (Hansard, 9 February 1977)

§ 2. Mr. Peter Mills
asked the Sercetary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve transport in rural areas; and whether he will make a statement.

§ Mr. Horam
The Government continuously assist rural transport through transport supplementary grant; our programme of rural transport experiments will be operating on the ground this summer; and the issues affecting rural transport are included in the review of transport policy on which my right hon. Friend and I are now engaged.

§ Mr. Mills
Whatever the Minister says, many people in the rural areas think that the Government are dragging their feet on these matters. We need action. Does the hon. Gentleman realise the problems that rural people face? There is continual depopulation. It does not pay a man to go to work, because of the costs of travel. Will the Minister start to take action by reforming the licensing system and allow the growth of unconventional means of transport in rural areas?

§ Mr. Horam
We realise that problems in rural areas are severe. I do not think there is any doubt about the feeling of the House on this matter. We are looking into it urgently as part of our general consultations. The hon. Member will have a ringside seat in these matters, because some of these experiments are taking place in Devon. They will take account of the conditions in his area The Government have accepted all of Devon's bid for bus support in 1977–78, so by that means the Government are once more showing their concern for the continuation of rural bus services.

§ Mr. George Rodgers
Does my hon. Friend agree that one method of improving transport in rural areas would be to persuade bus operators that the school leaving age is now 16? Is he aware that the operators continually charge full fares for children of 14, 15 and 16 years who are travelling to and from school? Is this not scandalous?

§ Mr. Horam
Concessions, or lack of them, by the National Bus Company are unfortunately a matter entirely for the company. It is not a matter in which the Government have any statutory rôle. It is, therefore, specifically outside my competence. However, it is something about which we must be concerned, and we are very anxious to reach sensible conclusions about it.

§ Mr. Temple-Morris
Does the Minister acknowledge that co-ordination of the various forms of rural transport is vital? Can he assure us that consideration is being given to this point in the various experiments that are taking place? In addition, will he say what consultations he has had with, for example, the Post Office union, which has had difficulties in getting postmen to run post-buses? That is one of the most obvious forms of such co-ordination.

§ Mr. Horam
The hon. Gentleman is right; co-ordination is important. We are conducting about a dozen different forms of experiment, and part of the point of them is that some will feed into others. There will be a low-key service in some areas, with a low demand, which feeds into a denser traffic pattern nearer a town. We also have consultations with the unions that are on the committee that is steering these experiments, and we take full account of what they say.