HC Deb 25 March 1981 vol 1 c336W
34. Mr. Farr

asked the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of petrol prices on transportation in the countryside.

Mr. Kenneth Clarke

Over the last decade there has been a steady decline in rural bus services and a large increase in private motoring, including journeys to work. However, it is extremely difficult to say what effect changes in fuel prices have on rural transport. Pump prices of petrol, including the increase in duty announced in the Budget, are still lower in real terms than the prices reached in 1975 despite the subsequent increases in OPEC prices for oil.