§ Mrs. Dunwoodyasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list all of the consultants employed in 68W connection with the Transport Bill and "Buses" White Paper, the nature of projects for which they were employed and the cost to his Department.
§ Mr. Ridley[pursuant to the reply, 30 April 1985, c. 94]: Professor M. E. Beesley, Dr. S. Glaister and Mr. M. Buchanan have been employed as consultants in the preparation of the "Buses" White Paper and subsequently; Dr. Glaister has also done work for the Department on the mathematical modelling of bus service provision. Messrs. Steer, Davies and Gleave, in association with Messrs. Thornton Baker, have been conducting a study of tendering arrangements for subsidised services, and Messrs. Buchanans is conducting a study of bus stations and bus stops. In accordance with previous practice the Department has employed, on a consultancy basis, an adviser on the bus industry. For six months in 1984 the adviser was Mr. F. P. Groves, and subsequently it has been Mr. G. G. Hilditch. The total cost to the Department of this work, and a very small commission by Cooper Lybrand on NBC, has been £137,662. In addition the Department's transport and road research laboratory has a continuing programme of research on a range of topics, some concerning the bus industry, and from time to time employs consultants.