Mr. John D. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the distances between(a) Kircubbin and Newtownards, and (b) Newtownards and Belfast; what is the price of a single adult bus ticket on each of these two routes; and if he would provide for private bus firms to provide scheduled bus services on these routes.
§ Mr. NeedhamThe distance between Kircubbin and Newtownards is 10.7 miles and between Newtownards and Belfast 10.1 miles. The adult single fare charged by Ulsterbus between Kircubbin and Newtownards is £1.65 and between Newtownards and Belfast is £1.20. The Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland, as licensing authority, will consider any stage carriage application which it receives, giving due regard to the interests of both the travelling public and existing licensed operators.