§ Mr. Gregoryasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on access between central London and Heathrow for disabled people.
§ Mr. Peter Bottomley"Care Line", a bus service operated by Alder Valley North, with facilities for wheelchair passengers, has been in operation between Heathrow airport and central London since July 1986. In December 1986 Alder Valley North announced that the service would cease as it had become unsustainable. They438W agreed to continue until the end of this month to allow a study of the service commissioned by the Department of Transport to be carried out. I have arranged for a copy of the report of this study, prepared by the Cranfield centre for transport studies, to be placed in the Library.
I am pleased to say that London regional transport has told me that it is planning to adapt its existing Airbus services between Heathrow and central London to carry wheelchair passengers. It is also examining the possibility of a service which will link the London terminals of the Airbus service at Victoria and Euston with other main line London rail stations. In the meantime, it will be announcing arrangements to provide disabled passengers who notify them in advance with suitable transport between central London and Heathrow.
I have authorised an increase in LRT's expenditure on transport for disabled pople to meet the cost of these new facilities.
I shall be inviting the Department's disabled persons transport advisory committee to assist in the introduction of these services.