Hansard

Bus Services

Volume 447: debated on Thursday 15 June 2006

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Graham Stringer

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many posts are available to each traffic commissioner to monitor the reliability of bus services; and what the occupancy rate for each of these posts has been in each quarter in each of the last five years. (73857)

Gillian Merron

The information requested is in the following table.

Region

Eastern

North East/ North West

Scotland

South East and Met.

Wales

Western

West Midlands

Agreed number of posts for 2006

1

4

6

2

3

2

1

2001-02

1st quarter

1

4

2

2

1

2

1

2nd quarter

1

4

2

2

1

2

1

3rd quarter

1

4

2

2

1

2

1

4th quarter

1

4

2

2

1

2

1

2002-03

1st quarter

1

4

2

2

1

2

1

2nd quarter

1

4

2

2

1

2

1

3rd quarter

1

3

2

2

1

2

1

4th quarter

1

4

2

2

1

2

1

2003-04

1st quarter

1

4

2

2

1

2

1

2nd quarter

1

4

2

2

3

2

1

3rd quarter

1

3

2

2

3

2

1

4th quarter

1

4

2

2

3

2

1

2004-05

1st quarter

1

4

2

2

3

2

1

2nd quarter

1

4

3

2

3

2

1

3rd quarter

1

3

4

1

3

2

1

4th quarter

1

4

4

1

3

2

1

2005-06

1st quarter

1

4

3

2

3

2

1

2nd quarter

1

3

4

2

3

2

1

2nd quarter

1

4

3

2

3

2

1

3rd quarter

1

4

6

2

3

2

1

Dr. Blackman-Woods

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what total public spending (a) per head of population and (b) in total was on bus services in (i) County Durham, (ii) Tyne and Wear, (iii) Northumberland and (iv) the North East of England in each of the last 10 years. (75290)

Gillian Merron

The majority of financial support for bus services is provided by local authorities in line with policy choices made at a local level, from their Revenue Support Grant supplemented by Rural Bus Subsidy Grant paid to authorities by the Department. The figures requested are shown in the following tables and include re-imbursement of concessionary fares on local buses, (consistent figures are available only from 1998-99).

Bus support per head of population

£ per head

Durham

Tyne and Wear

Northumberland

All North East

1998-99

9.4

29.7

6.0

18.0

1999-2000

9.9

28.6

6.9

17.7

2000-01

10.6

28.7

6,7

17.7

2001-02

12.1

28.9

7.5

18.2

2002-03

12.7

29.7

9.0

19.2

2003-04

14.1

25.4

10.3

18.1

2004-05

13.6

25.1

12.3

18.6

Bus Support

£000

Durham

Tyne and Wear

Northumberland

All North East

1998-99

4,681

32,750

1,839

46,116

1999-2000

4,907

31,377

2,129

45,101

2000-01

5,268

31,280

2,071

45,115

2001-02

5,994

31,375

2,309

46,254

2002-03

6,272

32,236

2,773

48,770

2003-04

6,972

27,480

3,177

46,007

2004-05

6,740

27,204

3,814

47,328

Note: The figures for Tyne and Wear contain some inconsistencies which are currently being checked by the passenger transport executive. Source: Local authority returns to DCLG, revenue outturn (RO2).

In addition, operators of local bus services receive Bus Service Operators Grant from this Department. This is paid direct to operators and is not attributed to a specific area.