Tag: Lord Rosser

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rosser on 2016-04-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the importance of rural transport services in tackling loneliness amongst (1) young people, (2) the elderly, (3) those suffering from mental ill health, and (4) those suffering from physical ill health.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The Government recognises the importance of public transport for both the sustainability and independence of communities. Inadequate transport provision is a very real concern and can be a barrier to the wellbeing of all, particularly those living in more isolated areas.

Ultimately, however, it is for local authorities, working in partnership with their communities, to identify the right transport solutions that meet the economic and environmental challenges faced in their areas and deliver the greatest benefits for their residents.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rosser on 2016-04-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are giving to local authorities to ensure that changes to funding for local bus services do not negatively affect (1) young people, (2) the elderly, (3) those suffering from mental ill health, and (4) those suffering from physical ill health.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

The majority of public funding for local bus services in England is provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government. However, the Department for Transport also provides around £40m of Grant funding directly to English local authorities for this purpose.

The Total Transport initiative has also provided around £8m funding for 37 pilot projects exploring how local authorities and other agencies can work together to commission transport services more effectively – including integrating NHS non-emergency patient transport.

Authorities should remain mindful of their statutory equality duties, including the Equality Act 2010’s Public Sector Equality Duty, and the effect of proposals on all people with protected characteristics, including those who are disabled.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rosser on 2016-04-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the Bus Service Operators Grant in tackling isolation and loneliness in rural communities.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Under the Bus Subsidy Operators Grant (BSOG) system, the Government pays out some £250m a year to bus operators and local authorities to support bus services outside London. BSOG plays an especially important role in protecting services in rural areas as it supports an extra 25 million bus journeys a year in those areas, by helping extend the bus network and allowing operators to charge lower fares. Department for Transport analysis indicates that BSOG has helped extend the rural bus network by 13%, equivalent to an additional 38 million kilometres, providing residents with vital links to local services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Rosser on 2016-04-21.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many regional devolution settlements that are (1) agreed already, and (2) currently being negotiated, include the devolution of transport powers; and what impact those settlements will have on local bus services.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

(1) The Government has agreed devolution settlements with 10 English areas. Each of the settlements contained provisions for the devolution of transport powers and responsibilities, from bus franchising to the establishment and management of key route networks, based on the ambitions and needs of each individual area.

(2) The Government is in active discussions with many other areas, however, proposals are developed and led by local areas and the decision to release information regarding the content of these discussions is a matter for the local area to decide, not the Government. As individual negotiations conclude and devolution deals are agreed, local areas may decide to publish the final deal documents on the GOV.UK website.

The Bus Services Bill will enable the implementation of the commitments made in devolution settlements to provide authorities with a greater say over the bus services in their area. It will be up to authorities to determine whether and how they implement changes to the way in which local bus services are provided.