HC Deb 10 July 1989 vol 156 c418W
Mr. Gould

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the agreement between his Department and the Thames Riverbus service concerning the payment to the service of a £500,000 grant.

Mr. Portillo

I have arranged for a copy of the agreement to be deposited in the Library of the House.

Mr. Gould

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport why the agreement between his Department and the Thames Riverbus service concerning the payment of a £500,000 grant specifies that the service must be maintained to only some of the piers served by the Riverbus at the time the agreement was made.

Mr. Portillo

The provision concerning a service to certain piers was designed to ensure that a substantial core service would be provided so that Riverbus would contribute to the relief of road congestion and encourage the development of riverside areas in need of regeneration. The piers specified for this purpose in the agreement, Charing Cross, Festival, Swan Lane, London Bridge/City and West India, were those serving the core route.