§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the recent RAC survey on the relative costs to families of using their car and using public transport; and if he will make a statement. [113118]
§ Mr. HillMy right hon. and noble Friend the Minister for Transport was pleased to have provided the foreword to the RAC Report on Motoring 2000 which offered a useful insight into what motorists think are the relative costs of car and public transport. As the report showed there was considerable uncertainty among motorists about the full cost of their travel by car, and of the real costs of public transport. A more accurate picture of actual costs for households is given in table 1.15 "Household expenditure on transport: UK 1987–1997 in Transport statistics in Great Britain; 1999 Edition". We are currently undertaking research to probe what impact costs, both actual and perceived, have on people's travel decisions.