§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements are made to fund dial-a-ride and similar services for disabled people outside London; if he will list the amounts paid in support of such services in shire county and metropolitan areas in the years 1988–89 and 1989–90; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FreemanShire councils and passenger transport authorities and executives in the metropolitan areas have a duty to have regard to the transport needs of members of the public who are elderly or disabled, and may fund dial-a-ride and other special needs services. We do not have comprehensive figures on local authority spending in this area, but a recent assessment by the local authority associations put provision by the PTAs in the metropolitan areas at £4.4 million in 1988–89 and £8.2 million in 1989–90.