§ 45. Mr. Andrew F. BennettTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has any plans to improve the funding mechanisms of local public transport services.
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§ Mr. David MitchellWe have already brought about a substantial improvement by the deregulation of bus services and the introduction of competitive tendering for subsidised services. In the metropolitan areas precept control has also contributed to reducing the cost to the ratepayer of local public transport services, and we are now considering the responses to a proposal to replace the present precepting system for the passenger transport authorities by a system of billing on metropolitan districts.