§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what support for(a) rural transport partnerships and (b) community based projects in rural areas he has given in the last two years; and if he will make a statement; [66569]
(2) what support he has given to flexible transport in rural communities; and if he will make a statement. [66568]
§ Mr. JamiesonSpecific funding for flexible transport services in rural areas, such as demand responsive buses, dial-a-ride schemes and shared taxis, is available through my Department's Rural Bus Challenge and the Countryside Agency's Rural Transport Partnership and Parish Transport358W Fund programmes. The Rural White Paper published in November 2000 announced that £60 million, £32 million, and £15 million would be made available for these three programmes respectively over the period 2001–02 to 2003–04. Local authorities can also use their revenue support grant to fund flexible transport services.
Total spending on rural transport partnerships and other community-based transport projects in rural areas through the Rural Bus Challenge and Rural Transport Partnership programme in the last two financial years are as follows.
£ million Rural bus challenge Rural transport partnership 2000–01 6.17 4.80 2001–02 11.03 6.96 The 2000–01 rural transport partnership figure includes funding for the Countryside Agency's rural transport development fund, which merged with its rural transport partnership programme in April 2001.