HC Deb 02 February 2004 vol 417 cc616-7W
Mr. Jenkin

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the total cost of public subsidy for the Dengie Village Link is in the(a) current and (b) next financial year. [152291]

Mr. McNulty

Dengie Village Link service was awarded £271,000 from Rural Bus Challenge funding and £106,274 from the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant for the current financial year 2003–04.

The recently announced Rural Bus Challenge award will provide £840,000 of funding to the scheme over the next three years 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07. Announcement of the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant for the next financial year has not yet been made.

Mr. Jenkin

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers the Dengie Village Link carried in the last 12 month period; and how many passenger miles this represented. [152292]

Mr. McNulty

The total number of passengers carried by Dengie Village Link during the last 12 months from January 2003 to December 2003 was 72,191.

Passenger mileage figures are not recorded.