To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which local authorities offer free bus travel before 9.30 am to pensioners. (234996)

A list of the 186 authorities in England that offered free travel before 9.30 am as at 30 June 2008 has been placed in the House Library.

Concessionary travel schemes in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are the responsibility of the devolved administrations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on the provision of central Government funding to local authorities for free bus travel for pensioners. (236274)

Written representations have been received from a number of local authorities but to date there have been no direct meetings. Officials have met with several local authorities, and representatives from local government are present at our regular stakeholder working groups, where funding is a regular subject for discussion.

The Government remain confident that the total funding package of approximately £1 billion funding for statutory concessionary travel is sufficient, in total, to meet the cost to local authorities.