HC Deb 12 April 1978 vol 947 cc461-2W
Sir Ian Gilmour

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give an assurance that, if the Buckinghamshire County Council includes in its transport policy and programme for 1979–80 a subsidy towards revenue deficits on that part of the London Transport Metropolitan line which is in Buckinghamshire, the total sum will rank for transport supplementary grant.

Mr. Horam

If the council's transport policies and programme submission for 1979–80 includes such proposed expenditure, we can confirm that this would be eligible for transport supplementary grant purposes and would welcome such a move. But we cannot at this stage prejudge decisions on expenditure and grant in the next TSG settlement, which are made later in the year and on the basis of TPPs actually submitted.

Sir Ian Gilmour

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if the Buckinghamshire County Council's proposals are qualified so that the council pays only to the London Transport Executive an amount equivalent to the sum received by way of transport supplementary grant; if he will be prepared to accept the proposals and guarantee that the county council will not be penalised in future years on the grounds that it has not contributed its share of the subsidy.

Mr. Horam

Like the rate support grant, which assists the bulk of county councils' transport spending, transport supplementary grant is a block grant not specific to individual items. Nor is it intended to be a 100 per cent. grant on such expenditure. If the council were not in the event to pay to the London Transport Executive the full amount of expenditure we have approved for support to its services, we should take this into account in deciding Buckinghamshire's total level of approved expenditure and grant in future years.

Mr. Tierney

asked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will give the total amount of public transport support grant allocated to the West Midlands County Council for 1977–78 and 1978–79.

Mr. Horam

Government assistance towards county councils' transport expenditure is made through the rate support grant and the transport supplementary grant. These are block grants, not specific to public transport or other items of transport spending. For the West Midlands County Council, TSG in 1977–78 amounted to £15.2 million, and in 1978–79 will be £10.8 million—both at November 1976 prices.