§ Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has made available for the Rail Passenger Partnership since 2000; and how much was spent in rural areas in(a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02 and (c) 2002–03 to date. [78397]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Rail Passenger Partnership (RPP) scheme was launched in 1999 with a budget of £105 million over three years. In December 2001 the Strategic Rail Authority re-launched RPP with a budget of £400 million until 2010–11.
It is not possible to give a precise figure for the amount spent exclusively in rural areas, as many of the schemes for which funding has been awarded by the SRA are of benefit to rural and non-rural areas. In the financial year 2000–01, some £271,000 was awarded for schemes containing a rural element. In 2001–02 the figure was just under £1.1 million. The projected figure for 2002–03 is some £2.3 million.