HC Deb 12 May 2004 vol 421 cc405-6W
Mr. Ben Chapman

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rural bus services in Wirral, South are supported by rural bus grants. [172691]

Mr. McNulty

Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG) is paid to local transport authorities, in the case of Wirral, South this is the Merseyside Passenger Transport Executive (PTE). It is for the authority to decide which

(2) what proportion of (a) Ordinary Written Questions to his Department were answered within five sitting days of tabling and (b) Questions for a Written Answer on a named day received a substantive answer on that day in (i) the 2002–03 parliamentary session and (ii) this parliamentary session, broken down by month. [171190]

Mr. McNulty

Ministerial colleagues and I endeavour to reply to parliamentary questions within the required deadlines wherever possible. At 5 May 2004, the Department for Transport had answered 4,744 written questions tabled since 13 November 2002, the beginning of the 2002–03 Parliamentary Session. This comprised 3,941 written ordinary questions (90 per cent. of which were answered within five sitting days) and 803 named day questions (76 per cent. of which were given a substantive answer on the specified date). The following table shows the monthly breakdown.

services should be supported with the grant. We understand from the PTE that one rural bus service in Wirral, South is provided by RBSG.

Mr. Ben Chapman

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many miles of priority bus lanes have been created in Wirral, South since 1997. [172692]

Mr. McNulty

There is one priority bus lane in Wirral, South 0.2miles long on the southern carriageway of the New Chester Road (B5136). It was created in 1997.