Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much funding his Department has provided for bus services in real terms in each of the last five years.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport has provided a total of £3.47 billion (£2.8 billion in real terms (2010/11 prices)) for bus services between 2018/19 to 2022/23. This includes the Bus Service Operators Grant, Covid-19 Bus Service Support Grant, Bus Recovery Grant, Commonwealth Games funding, £2 Bus Fare Cap, and Bus Service Improvement Plan funding.
The breakdown of this by year is as follows:
2018/19 - £244 million (£215 million in 2010/11 prices)
2019/20 - £249 million (£214 million in 2010/11 prices)
2020/21 - £1.2 billion (£974 million in 2010/11 prices)
2021/22 - £899 million (£729 million in 2010/11 prices)
2022/23 - £873 million (£671 million in 2010/11 prices)
In addition, on 4 October, as part of Network North, we announced a further £1 billion from redirected HS2 funding to level up bus services in the North and Midlands via BSIP, making them more frequent, more reliable, cheaper, and easier to use. We are also extending the £2 bus fare cap until the end of 2024, meaning we are investing nearly £600 million in total to cap bus fares across England since the scheme was launched. On top of this, we have announced that a new uplift of 60% will be added to Community Transport Operators’ (CTOs) Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) claims until 31 March 2025.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any funds from the cancellation of Phase 2 of the HS2 project will be reallocated to help increase capacity on the East Coast Main Line.
Answered by Anthony Browne - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The up-to-£3.5bn upgrades for the ECML outlined in the Integrated Rail Plan remain unaffected by the Network North announcement. These upgrades will seek to upgrade and improve line speeds and capacity across the route.
The Department has provided Network Rail with early-stage development funding to begin consideration of how these ambitious plans can be delivered as efficiently as possible. Several component schemes are at a more mature stage of delivery, including enhancements at Darlington Station – where construction work has now commenced – and upgrades at York Station.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many projects in Network North have been costed.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
We have already extended the £2 national bus fare cap, which will now continue to December 2024. We are also making £300m of funding available to improve the conditions of local roads across this financial year and next. Next financial year, there will also be an additional £150m of funding to support bus services through the Bus Service Improvement Plans.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many projects in Network North are at design stage.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Teams are working through delivery schedules and phasing of spend with delivery partners and within the Government’s overall fiscal plan. We will share further information when that work is complete. All schemes and programmes announced as part of Network North will go through normal business case approval processes to ensure value for money.
In terms of the more mature projects, we have already extended the £2 national bus fare cap, which will now continue to December 2024. We are also making £300m of funding available to improve the conditions of local roads across this financial year and next. Next financial year, there will also be an additional £150m of funding to support bus services through the Bus Service Improvement Plans.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of the cancellation of phase 2a of HS2 on infrastructure contractor workforce levels.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
The large majority of jobs on HS2 are currently working on the delivery of Phase 1 and the Prime Minister has confirmed that the government will complete Phase 1 of HS2 between Birmingham and London. The new investment plans outlined in Network North will provide significant opportunities for contractual work, creating job opportunities in a number of sectors across the range of projects in the delivery pipeline.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to reallocate funds from HS2 to (a) improve accessibility across the rail network and (b) increase levels of Access for All funding.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
As part of our recent Network North announcement, the Government confirmed £350m will be made available to improve the accessibility of our train stations. We are assessing over 300 nominations for Access for All funding beyond 2024. Successful nominations will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Gavin Newlands (Scottish National Party - Paisley and Renfrewshire North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what date his Department informed (a) Network Rail Ltd, (b) First Trenitalia West Coast Rail Ltd, (c) Manchester Airport Holdings Ltd and (d) Birmingham Airport Ltd of its decision to cancel HS2 Phase (i) 2a and (ii) 2b routes.
Answered by Huw Merriman - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
On 4 October, the Prime Minister announced Network North – this Government’s transport investment vision to drive better connectivity across the North, the Midlands, and the country – and confirmed that the Government would not proceed with the construction of HS2 Phase 2a, Phase 2b Western Leg and HS2 East.
Ministers and officials of the Department for Transport have engaged with relevant stakeholders to discuss the announcement and its implications.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to help increase the number of passengers on bus routes where the fare is not capped at £2.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The central aim of our National Bus Strategy is to get more people travelling by bus, and we will only achieve this if we can make buses a practical and attractive alternative to the car for more people.
The Department for Transport is investing in the bus sector to deliver the ambitions of the National Bus Strategy to make bus services more reliable and cheaper. We are providing over £2 billion of funding for English Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) outside London to support the delivery of Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs), some of which include the introduction of local fares initiatives. This includes £1 billion from the first phase of BSIP funding announced in 2022, £160m from the second phase of funding announced in May 2023 (BSIP+) and a further £1 billion announced by the Prime Minister in October 2023 for LTAs across the North and the Midlands, redirected from HS2.
Our £20 million Rural Mobility Fund (RMF) in England is supporting 16 innovative, demand-led minibus trials in rural and suburban areas across 16 local authorities in England. These pilots are exploring whether Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) can serve these communities more effectively than traditional public transport solutions alone.
On top of this, we have announced that a new uplift of 60% will be added to Community Transport Operators’ (CTOs) Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) claims until 31 March 2025.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department made an assessment of the impact of the rurality of each council area on the level of funding provided for each bus service improvement plan.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government recognises the importance of transport provision in rural areas and is committed to finding solutions which ensure that local communities in these areas have viable and improved transport services.
The Government is supporting LTAs and bus operators with the provision of local bus services. Over £1 billion was allocated to 34 Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) in the first phase of funding for LTAs to deliver their BSIPs. All other LTAs received funding from the £160m BSIP+ fund announced in May 2023. On 4 October Government announced new funding of over £1bn from redirected HS2 funding to levelling up bus services across the North and Midlands, with £150m allocated for 2024/25. This funding has been provided to both urban and rural areas (e.g. Shropshire).
We have also announced that a new uplift of 60% will be added to Community Transport Operators’ (CTOs) Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) claims until 31 March 2025. On top of this, we have extended the £2 fare cap, which includes Demand Responsive Transport (DRT) funded through the Rural Mobility Fund (RMF), until the end of 2024, meaning we are investing nearly £600 million in total to cap bus fares.
LTAs in receipt of BSIP and/or BSIP+ funding may use the funding to target it on the actions that they – and local operators through their Enhanced Partnership (where relevant) – believe will deliver the best overall outcomes in growing long term patronage, revenues and thus maintaining service levels, whilst maintaining essential social and economic connectivity for local communities.
Asked by: Alistair Strathern (Labour - Mid Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve bus services in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
The Government recognises the importance of transport provision in rural areas and is committed to finding solutions which ensure that local communities in these areas have viable and improved transport services.
The Department for Transport is investing in the bus sector to deliver the ambitions of the National Bus Strategy to make bus services more reliable and cheaper. Over £1 billion was allocated to 34 Local Transport Authorities (LTAs) in the first phase of funding for LTAs to deliver their Bus Service Improvement Plans (BSIPs). All other LTAs received funding from the £160m Bus Service Improvement Plan Plus (BSIP+) fund announced in May 2023.
On 4 October, as part of Network North, we announced a further £1 billion from redirected HS2 funding to level up bus services in the North and Midlands via BSIP, making them more frequent, more reliable, cheaper, and easier to use. We are also extending the £2 bus fare cap until the end of 2024, meaning we are investing nearly £600 million in total to cap bus fares across England since the scheme was launched. On top of this, we have announced that a new uplift of 60% will be added to Community Transport Operators’ (CTOs) Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) claims until 31 March 2025.
Central Bedfordshire received £3,724,719 in Government funding to make improvements set out in their BSIP up to March 2025 in the first phase of BSIP funding. They have also been allocated £700,914 in the second phase of BSIP+ funding up to March 2025.
Bedford Borough Council have been allocated £1,093,514 in the second phase of BSIP+ funding up to March 2025.
LTAs in receipt of BSIP and/or BSIP+ funding may use the funding to target it on the actions that they – and local operators through their Enhanced Partnership (where relevant) – believe will deliver the best overall outcomes in growing long term patronage, revenues and thus maintaining service levels, whilst maintaining essential social and economic connectivity for local communities