Bus Fuel Rebate Scheme

HC Deb 15 January 2002 vol 378 cc201-2W

Mr. McLoughlin

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions how much was paid(a) in total and (b) to individual bus companies under the bus fuel rebate scheme in each of the last seven years. [26054]

Ms Keeble

Total expenditure on bus fuel duty rebate in Great Britain in each of the last seven years was as follows.

	£ million
1994–95	224
1995–96	229
1996–97	228
1997–98	227
1998–99	1271
1999–2000	2333
2000–01	3362
1 England £222 million
2 England £277 million
3 England £301 million

From 1998–99 onwards my Department has been responsible for funding rebate payments to bus operators only in England; the totals are shown above. The funding of rebate payments to operators in Scotland and Wales is now the responsibility of the Scottish Executive and National Assembly for Wales respectively, though my Department continues to administer those payments at their request.

There are some 1,800 operators who receive the rebate. The amounts received by individual claimants are regarded as commercially confidential.