§ Mr. OatenTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions when he will announce the allocation of funds for the free bus token scheme. [141347]
§ Mr. Hill[holding answer 11 December 2000]: As I announced in the House on 15 November 2000, Official Report, column 1029, we have allocated an annual injection of £54 million to cover the additional cost of the guaranteed half-fare concessionary travel scheme under the Transport Act 2000. I confirm that that amount was included within the lower tier of the Environmental Protection & Cultural Services block in the Standard Spending Assessment, and has been taken into account in the calculation of Revenue Support Grant to individual local authorities in the settlement announced on 27 November 2000, Official Report, columns 648–62.