§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the(a) resource and (b) capital expenditure on rural transport in each year since 1998–99, broken down by (i) public and (ii) private expenditure. [115722]
§ Mr. JamiesonAnnual public expenditure on the Government"s dedicated rural transport programmes since 1998–99 is set out in the following table:
§ Mr. JamiesonFunding for rural transport services has been available since 1998–1999 through my Department"s Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and Rural Bus Challenge and the Countryside Agency"s rural transport schemes. The Rural Bus Subsidy Grant is supporting 1,900 new or improved routes in England on which about 21 million passenger journeys were made in 2001–02, improving access to services and facilities for those living in many rural areas. The Rural Bus Challenge supports innovative rural bus projects and 259 projects have been awarded grants since 1998. These projects have provided many new flexible demand responsive and community transport services throughout England. My Department 185W has commissioned research on the impact of the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant and the Rural Bus Challenge scheme and will publish a report shortly.
The Countryside Agency administers the Rural Transport Partnership Scheme and since April 2001 the Parish Transport Grant. These schemes are supporting small scale transport projects developed locally by rural communities and parishes to improve accessibility for socially excluded groups. 466 projects, ranging from community transport schemes, wheels-to-work initiatives, public transport information to local walking and cycling improvements, have been supported in 2002–03. The Agency is currently carrying out a study of the impact and effectiveness of the Rural Transport Partnership Scheme, the results of which will be published in Spring 2004.