Oral Answers to Questions Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: Department for Transport

Oral Answers to Questions

Gordon Marsden Excerpts
Thursday 7th November 2013

(11 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Robert Goodwill Portrait Mr Goodwill
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I have already pointed out that in 2011 and 2012 we provided a total of £20 million in additional funding for rural areas. In some rural areas which are sparsely populated, there may be alternative solutions, such as dial-a-ride, car sharing or similar schemes, which may be more appropriate for the more remote rural areas.

Gordon Marsden Portrait Mr Gordon Marsden (Blackpool South) (Lab)
- Hansard - -

While the number of bus passengers falls and fares rise, this Government have stopped the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency, which checked bus operators’ punctuality, doing so properly. People need to know how reliable their buses are, as will the new local transport bodies planning their services, so why are Ministers keeping consumers clueless and local transport bodies toothless?