§ 5. Mr. ButlerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has about the level of bus services in Warrington since deregulation.
§ The Minister for Public Transport (Mr. David Mitchell)The level of bus services in Warrington is about the same as it was before deregulation, but with improvements in some areas.
§ Mr. ButlerDoes my hon. Friend agree that there is a lesson to be learnt from Warrington borough transport, which, with excellent trade union support, has increased its route mileage from 1.7 million to 3 million, its passenger fleet by 65 per cent. and its staff by 50 per cent. since deregulation?
§ Mr. MitchellI am grateful to my hon. Friend for illustrating yet again the advantages that flow from deregulation.
In addition, I notice that there is increased frequency on the No. 18 bus service, run by Warrington borough transport, and the No. 19 has been increased in frequency from one an hour to two an hour. Those are further indications of the substantial benefits brought by deregulation.
§ Mr. Tony LloydThe next time that the Minister is on a No. 18 or No. 19 bus in Warrington, perhaps he would care to consider that, although Warrington may be a success story, according to the Association of Metropolitan Authorities' recent report on deregulation, patronage is down everywhere else—by 3 per cent. in the shire counties and by one third in Merseyside. Why has only Warrington made a success of deregulation?
§ Mr. MitchellThat is simply an indication that the hon. Gentleman is wholly out of touch with what is happening on the ground. Throughout the country there is about the same level of service as there was before. Increased mileage is being run and, moreover, the savings to ratepayers amount to £40 million a year.
In addition, because of the removal of the over-heavy hand of regulation, one now sees minibus services sprouting in 250 areas throughout the country.