Oral Answers to Questions

Kerry McCarthy Excerpts

Thursday 18th January 2018 Commons Chamber

[Liz McInnes (Heywood and Middleton) (Lab)]

12. What estimate he has made of the number of journeys taken by bus in England in each of the last three years.

[Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab)]

15. What estimate he has made of the number of journeys taken by bus in England in each of the last three years.

[Lilian Greenwood (Nottingham South) (Lab)]

16. What estimate he has made of the number of journeys taken by bus in England in each of the last three years.

--- Later in debate ---

[Jesse Norman]

What is striking is that in many ways there is so much to be optimistic about with the bus industry. When I talk to operators, I see great investments in technology and ticketing, and tremendous potential for the industry in the context of the air quality changes that have been made by this Government.

[Kerry McCarthy]

In Bristol, more than 85% of routes are provided by First Bus, which makes a healthy profit every year, but under current rules it cannot use those profits to subsidise commercially unviable routes, which may be really important to local people. Why cannot bus companies’ contracts stipulate that they have to run those services using their profits from income-generating routes, instead of letting them pocket the profits while the local council has to foot the bill?

[Jesse Norman]

It is not historically the job of Government to be intervening in the precise allocation of a company’s profitability. I note that there has been a substantial increase in journeys in Bristol, from 32.7 million to 39.9 million over the past three years. If the hon. Lady has some specific proposals, I will be happy to look at them.