§ Mrs. BallardTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate she has made of(a) the 525W cost to public transport bus operators resulting from the increase in fuel costs announced in the Budget and (b) its effect on the cost of travel by bus. [11617]
§ Mr. Paul MurphyI understand that Ulsterbus and Citybus, which operate the great bulk of bus services in Northern Ireland, estimate that the increase in fuel duty will add around £850,000 a year to their costs. As a result, they increased bus fares by an average of 1.75 per cent. on July 28.