§ Mr. McLoughlinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions (1) how much was paid to bus companies under the bus fuel rebate scheme between the financial year 1998–99 and the latest available date; [137761]
(2) what will be the cost of his plans to extend the bus fuel rebate to community transport schemes; and if he will estimate for each of the last three years the cost of the scheme had the same rebate been extended to community transport schemes in that period; [137760]
(3) what progress he has made on extension of the bus fuel rebate to community transport schemes; and if he will make a statement. [137814]
§ Mr. HillMy Department's expenditure on payments of bus fuel duty rebate to bus operators in England was £222 million in 1998–99 and £277 million in 1999–2000. Payments this year are expected to total about £300 million.
As promised in 'Transport 2010', the 10-year plan for transport, we are now working up proposals for extending the rebate to a wider range of community transport schemes. We shall be consulting on these proposals shortly with the intention of having new rules in place for the 2001–02 financial year.
It is not possible at this stage to give an estimate of what the cost of this change will be in future years, or would have been in past years, since this depends on 727W decisions still to be taken on the precise definition of the services which will benefit and on the eligible mileage which they run.