Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Transport

Oral Answers to Questions

Kerry McCarthy Excerpts
Thursday 13th July 2023

(1 year, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Kerry McCarthy Portrait Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab)
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T8. The buses Minister assured me a couple of months ago that he was prepared to work with the West of England Combined Authority to ensure “maximum flexibility” in how bus funding could be spent, but I am still struggling to find out how we can get the funding to reinstate commercially non-profitable but essential buses. Will he meet me so that we can try to get to the bottom of it?

Richard Holden Portrait Mr Holden
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I would be delighted to meet the hon. Lady. I met recently with the West of England metro Mayor, who has had £21 million in BSIP funding, which we have made more flexible. To date, he has looked at schemes including the birthday month travel scheme. I can see that she might not be as interested in that as some of her hon. Friends, but I would be delighted to meet her to discuss what more flexibility we could introduce to preserve buses in her constituency.