Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government funds (a) travel concessions and (b) other benefits to (i) rail and (ii) bus travellers in England outside London.

There are a number of national rail concessions in the form of railcards. Under Section 28(3) of the Railways Act 1993, train operating companies are required to participate in certain approved discount card schemes for young and student travellers, disabled passengers and those over 60.

In addition, recent introductions include the 16-17 Saver and 26-30 ‘millennial’ railcard to help young people, and in October we launched a new Veterans Railcard to help former servicemen and women.

Funding for the English National Concessionary Travel Scheme (ENCTS) for bus travel is provided to local authorities through the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG’s) revenue support grant. This funding is not ringfenced, which enables local authorities to make spending decisions that more closely match local needs and circumstances.