§ Mr. Ovendenasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether the National Bus Company has informed him of any planned reductions in its national travel coach operations or any other proposals to reduce the financial losses on those operations for which there is no financial support from Government or local government funds.
§ Dr. GilbertI look to the National Bus Company to manage its whole field of operations with a view to securing financial viability.
§ Mr. Ovendenasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the extent of the service economies proposed by the National Bus Company, as a result of the level of financial support, expressed as a percentage of NBC stage carriage mileage, namely, excluding longdistance express coach operations;
(2) whether the National Bus Company has yet informed him of the distribution by county of the proposed 25 million miles of service economies resulting from the level of bus revenue support provided for 1976–77; and if he will publish this information in the Official Report.
§ Mr. GilbertThe National Bus Company's provisional estimate, on the basis of the allocation of transport supplementary grant for 1976–77, was that it would be necessary to make economies amounting to about 4 per cent. of its total stage mileage. The actual level and distribution of the necessary economies will depend on the results of negotiations which are continuing between the operating companies and county councils.