§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review his policies concerning concessionary travel for pensioners and introduce initiatives to widen the use of concessionary schemes.
§ Mr. FreemanWe have no plans to review our policies nor do we think new initiatives are required, as we have put in place the framework that gives local authorities discretion to provide concessionary travel if they wish. Since most pensioners use public transport services for local journeys, we believe that the decision on whether to provide concessionary travel for elderly people is a. matter for individual local authorities. They are best placed to judge local needs, and to weigh the costs involved against their other priorities.
We have consistently said that the current link between eligibility for concessionary travel and pensionable age would be reviewed if the state pension age is changed. We therefore indicated in the Department of Social Security's White Paper about the phased equalisation of the state pension age, issued last year, Cm 2420, para 3.17, that the difference in treatment of men and women for concessionary fares should clearly not continue when it has been abolished for state pensions. We said that we would be consulting on the precise phasing-in of the change.