§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
What investigations and reports on bus and rail transport in Northern Ireland have been carried out over the last 10 years, by whom, covering what periods, and costing how much. [HL1587]
§ Baroness Farrington of RibbletonDetails of investigations and reports undertaken post-1995 on bus and rail transport in Northern Ireland are set out below in Table 1:
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Table 1 Nature of investigation or report Carried out by Covering the period Evaluation of Easibus System University of Ulster 1995–96 Provision of Traffic Engineering Constancy Services; Bus Priority Oscar Faber March 1998—January 1999 Research on the development of community transport in rural areas TAS Partnership August 1998—March 2000 Public Private Partnerships Outline Business Case Options PricewaterhouseCoopers February 1999—November 1999 Interim bus and rail solutions PricewaterhouseCoopers May 1999—date Y2K assessment of Translink Deloitte and Touche June 1999 Pilot free travel scheme for elderly people The MVA Partnership June 1999—date Albertbridge Tidal Flow and Bus Priority Oscar Faber August 1999—February 2000 The total cost of these investigations and reports is £295,000. Full information prior to 1995 could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Those details that are, however, readily available are shown in Table 2.
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Table 2 Nature of investigation or report Carried out by Approximate period Bus Priority Study for the Oxford Street Area JMP 1991 Collection of data on Ormeau Road Bus Lane Scheme University of Ulster 1993
Table 2 Nature of investigation or report Carried out by Approximate period Southern Approaches Transport Modelling and Advice The MVA Constancy 1993 Queen Street Bus Station—Feasibility Study IMP 1994 Development of a Bus Strategy for Greater Belfast Steer Davies Gleave 1994 Bus Strategy for Belfast Steer Davies Gleave 1994