§ Mr. Soamesasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the progress of bus deregulation in West Sussex.
§ Mr. David MitchellI am pleased that there has in general been a smooth transition to deregulation in West Sussex. The county council has worked hard to ensure that the previous service levels were broadly maintained, and at the same time has been able to achieve subsidy savings of over £1 million under the new arrangements for competitive tendering. I understand that the council is already acting to ensure that service levels continue to be maintained after full deregulation on 26 January 1987.