HC Deb 04 April 1989 vol 150 cc20-1W
Mr. Spearing

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Newham, South,Official Report, 16 March, column 284, he will give the considerations and calculations relating to his decision to provide approximately £400,000 of public support to Thames Line River Services in central London, together with the relevant vote in the current estimates, the expected means of payment and any conditions relating to the grant.

Mr. Portillo

The decision to provide up to £500,000 of grant took into account the benefits to the community of relief of road congestion and the encouragement of development of riverside areas in need of regeneration. The grant will be met from the administration and transport services vote (class VIII, vote 2). Payment of grant is limited to is application to the promotion and improvement of the services, and is conditional upon a private sector contribution of up to £2 million, to be paid on a pro rata basis, and to the provision of appropriate management reports and accounts.

Mr. Spearing

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimated or actual number of passengers and passenger miles, respectively, carried by Thames Line River Services in the year 1988, or financial year 1988–89, together with the comparable estimates for the financial year 1989–90; and what is the expected public subsidy, or its range, per passenger and per passenger mile, respectively.

Mr. Portillo

Thames Line estimates that some 138,000 passengers were carried in its first nine months of operation to February 1989. A progressive and substantial increase in patronage is expected during the next three years, but the forecast of the business are commercially confidential.