HC Deb 12 February 1980 vol 978 cc586-7W
Mr. Allan Stewart

asked the Secretary of state for Scotland what performance aims he has set for the Scottish Transport Group.

Mr. Younger

I have set performance aims for the two main parts of the group's business—bus and shipping operations. The aims will complement the financial targets which have already been given to the group and are designed to encourage greater efficiency in the provision of the group's services. I have set the group aims designed to reverse the long-term trend of increasing unit costs in real terms, to increase patronage on its bus operations and to improve the reliability of bus services.

For bus services the three aims which have been set are:

  1. (i) to hold constant or reduce in real terms over the next five years the unit costs per vehicle mile in service.
  2. (ii) to increase over the next five years the number of passenger journeys per vehicle mile in service by 3 per cent.
  3. (iii) to reduce in 1980 the percentage of lost mileage (ie scheduled mileage not run).

For the group's shipping operations the aim is:

(i) to hold constant or reduce in real terms the unit cost of providing carrying capacity, measured in ship capacity ton hours:

I have also asked the group to publish in future a figure of percentage of scheduled shipping services completed on time in summer and winter schedules.

WELSH DEVELOPMENT AGENCY FACTORY UNITS
Unit Size Allocated Unallocated Total
5,000 square feet and under … … 165 20 185
5,000–10,000 square feet … … … 60 4 64
10,000–20,000 square feet … … … 61 1 62
20,000–50,000 square feet … … … 146 4 150
Over 50,000 square feet … … … 79 1 80

It would not be possible without disproportionate expenditure of time and resources to identify which of the allocated premises are not currently in production