§ Mr. WebbTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, pursuant to his answer of 26 January 2001,Official Report, column 739W, on community transport schemes, if applications for continued funding of existing schemes were (a) permitted and (b) encouraged. [148342]
§ Mr. HillThe Rural Bus Challenge is intended to promote innovation in the provision and promotion of rural bus transport by seeking to support new approaches and projects. The bidding guidance for the 2000 competition neither prohibited nor encouraged the submission of bids for continuation funding of existing schemes. A number of authorities have submitted bids for continued funding of schemes funded by previous Challenge competitions and these are being considered alongside all the other bids. Successful bids to the 1999 competition included further funding for schemes successful in the 1998 competition.