HC Deb 24 March 1994 vol 240 cc358-9W
Mr. Tracey

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to offer the 10 London Buses' operating companies for sale.

Mr. Peter Bottomley

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to offer the 10 London Buses' operating companies for sale.

Mr. Norris

I am today announcing the launch of the sale of London Buses' operating companies. I am sure that the innovation and market responsiveness of the private sector will result in great improvements to our bus services. The quality of service and the cost-effectiveness of London's bus service has improved considerably since the private sector began to compete for contracts in London. Privatisation of the London Buses' operating companies will capitalise on those achievements and bring further benefits to both taxpayers and passengers.

I recognise the popularity of the traditional red bus. I have therefore decided that the purchasers of the London Buses' companies will be required to retain the red livery on the routes which they operate in Central London.

Mr. Spearing

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many different and distinct bus liveries he expects will be adopted in London subsequent to privatisation of bus routes; what requirement there is by him on London Transport that buses serving any one route will all be of the same livery; and whether the rules on code of practice concerning advertising on buses will be the same as, or similar to, those of London Buses Ltd. and its predecessors.

Mr. Norris

It is not possible to say at this stage how many different bus liveries there will be in London in the future. However, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the question from my hon. Friends, the Members for Eltham (Mr. Bottomley) and for Surbition (Mr. Tracey), in which I gave the assurance that steps are being taken to ensure that the red bus will remain a familiar sight on London's streets after the privatisation of the London Buses Ltd. subsidiary companies. It would be for London Transport to consider whether there is a need to ensure that buses serving the same route have the same livery. The code of practice covering advertisements on buses after privatisation will be consistent with that which currently applies.

Mr. Spearing

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements are being made for lost

Number of staff Grade Total cost (£) Location
Department of Transport (Central) (DOT(C))1 24 G3 and below 211,523 Mainly London
Transport Research Laboratory (TRL)1 78 G6 and below 560,024 Crowthome
Driver Vehicle Operators Information Technology (DVOIT)2 25 SEO and below 1,170,914 South Wales
Driving Standards Agency (DSA)3 49 Senior Driving Examiner and below 344,291 All regions
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)4 16 Grade 5 and below 431,641 South Wales
Vehicle Inspectorate Executive Agency (VI)5 9 SPTO and below 218,627 All regions
1 The money to finance the DOT(C) and TRL payments will come from class IV vote 2 running costs subhead A1.
2 The money to finance these payments will come from class VI vote 2 running costs subhead KI.
3 The money to finance these payments will come from class VI vote 3 running costs subhead H2.
4 The money to finance these payments will come from class VI vote 4 running costs subhead A1.
5 VI is off vote. Money to finance these payments is subject to the provisions of the Trading Fund Act.