§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research he has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the numbers of (i) rural bus services and (ii) rural bus passengers during the last five years. [172518]
§ Mr. McNultyWe monitor annually the number of services supported by local authorities with funds provided under the Rural Bus Subsidy Grant (RBSG) scheme and the number of passenger journeys made on these services. In 1998, the year the grant was introduced, it provided 850 new and enhanced services, rising to over 2,100 services in 2002–03. In 2002–03 26 million passenger journeys were supported in England through RBSG.
We have commissioned research into the impact of the Department's two funding streams for rural bus services, RBSG and the Rural Bus Challenge. A report is on the Department's website
495WWe also monitor the accessibility of rural communities to bus services through the National Travel Survey. The latest Survey published in December 2003 shows 48 per cent. of rural households to be within a 10 minutes walk of an hourly or better bus service compared to 39 per cent. in the 1997–1999 Survey. This shows the position for all bus services, including those supported by RBSG.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much Government funding has been provided for rural bus services in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [172519]
§ Mr. McNultyThe following table shows specific rural bus funding provided by Government since 1998 the year each of the funding schemes concerned were introduced:
£ million Countryside Agency
grants1
Rural Bus Challenge2
Rural Bus Subsidy
Grant
Total 1998–99 2.3 11.4 24.1 37.8 1999–2000 3.3 16.8 32.0 52.1 2000–01 4.8 21.2 32.3 58.2 2001–02 7.5 20.5 41.2 69.2 2002–03 13.5 20.0 47.3 80.8 2003–04 35 20.3 48.4 103.7 1 Countryside Agency Grants 1998–2000 Rural Transport Partnership (RTF) and Rural Transport Development Fund, since 2001 RTF and Parish Transport Grant. 2 Rural Bus Challenge funding awarded for projects typically lasting 2–3 years In addition local transport authorities use some of their general funding to subsidise socially necessary local bus services in rural areas, and Bus Service Operators Grant is paid to bus operators and community transport providers.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the expected level of subsidy for rural bus services for future years. [172520]
§ Mr. McNultyAs announced in the 2003 Budget, Rural Bus Subsidy Grant will continue until April 2006. Allocations to local authorities for 2005–06 will be announced in due course. Decisions on the grant beyond that year, and on the future of the Rural Bus Challenge scheme, will be announced following completion of the current review of bus subsidies and the Government's Spending Review.