asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they anticipate that the appeals by bus operators about reimbursement for the concessionary fares scheme which have been outstanding since April 2007 will be decided. [HL1366]

We expect that decisions will be taken on the majority of the outstanding appeals by the end of January.

There were 102 appeals by bus operators about reimbursement arrangements in 2007-08, of which 21 were later withdrawn. Of the 81 appeals remaining, not all contained sufficient information for a decision to be taken. As of 17 January, 29 appeals have been determined by an independent adjudicator appointed on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport. A further 52 appeals remain to be determined.