To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department has paid in grants to North East Lincolnshire local authority to provide free bus travel for pensioners in the last 12 months. (304428)

In the last 12 months, The Department for Transport has made payments totalling £614,039 in respect of concessionary travel special grant to North East Lincolnshire. The special grant provides funding solely to cover the extra costs that followed from the improvement to the statutory concession to all-England travel in April 2008. The Department for Communities and Local Government continues to provide the bulk of concessionary travel funding to local authorities through Formula Grant.