HC Deb 03 February 2004 vol 417 cc761-2W
Mr. Hoyle

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in Chorley received free school transport to(a) secondary, (b) primary and (c) special schools in each year since 1996. [151273]

Mr. Charles Clarke

Although we collect data on home to school transport expenditure, we do not usually collect data on the number of children receiving free transport. However, in response to a recent survey, Lancashire said that it provides free home to school transport to about 17,000 pupils. Its expenditure on this was £16 million in 2001/02.