Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the reduction was in his Department's support for bus funding in England in 2014-15.

The majority of public funding for local bus services is via block grant provided to local authorities in England from the Department for Communities and Local Government.

In 2014-15 my Department provided funding of around £250 million in Bus Service Operators Grant, of which over £40 million per year is now paid direct to authorities to help support bus services. This figure excludes some £93 million a year previously paid to bus operators for running bus services under franchise to Transport for London (TfL) in London, which is now incorporated into the general grant paid to TfL and the Greater London Authority.