To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what the total estimated cost of providing the national free concessionary bus pass scheme for pensioners in the Taunton Deane area was in (a) 2005, (b) 2006, (c) 2007 and (d) 2008 to date; and what the actual costs were in each of these years; (182393)

[holding answer 25 January 2008]: Funding for concessionary travel is part of a block within Revenue Support Grant (RSG), so it is not possible to disaggregate information for the allocation of it to individual Travel Concession Authorities (TCAs) in 2005, 2006 and 2007. For the extra cost of the all-England bus concession from April 2008 an additional £212 million will be paid directly to TCAs in England by special grant, rising to £217 million in 2009-10 and £223 million in 2010-11. In the provisional distribution of the grant in 2008-09 Taunton Deane borough council would receive £0.388 million through the special grant. This is in addition to their existing concessionary fares funding through RSG and represents an increase of 33 per cent. on the amount they spent on concessionary fares in 2006-07.