Local authorities in England spend over £315m a year supporting socially necessary bus services. In addition, the Department for Transport provides around £40m of Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG) funding directly to authorities to help deliver bus services. This central funding has been ring-fenced until 2016-17.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3996", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Andrew Jones"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Harrogate and Knaresborough"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Andrew Jones"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-07-13", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-07-13T13:45:40.323Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "27"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2015-07-08", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Bus Services"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to provide funding for local bus routes which provide an important service but are not commercially viable.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4411", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lucy Allan"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Telford"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lucy Allan"} ], "uin" : "6137"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/386518", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Business, Innovation and Skills"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/386518/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer has committed to completing a major review of business rates by the end of 2015.<\/p>
<\/p>
Autumn Statement 2014 announced a £1bn package of measures to reduce the burden of business rates, focussed on small businesses and retailers, including:<\/p>
· extending the doubling of the Small Business Rate Relief until April 2016;<\/p>
· continuing the 2% cap on the inflation-linked increase in the business rates multiplier until April 2016; and<\/p>
· increasing the retail discount for shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants until April 2016<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3938", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Anna Soubry"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Broxtowe"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Anna Soubry"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-07-08", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-07-08T13:32:32.457Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "26"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Innovation and Skills"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Business, Innovation and Skills"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2015-06-30", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Small Businesses: Non-domestic Rates"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps he is taking to ensure that levels of business rates do not put the future of small businesses at risk.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4411", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lucy Allan"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Telford"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lucy Allan"} ], "uin" : "4994"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/386327", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Transport"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/386327/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The line between Wolverhampton and Telford is not currently funded for electrification. We are awaiting the publication by Network Rail of its Electrification Route Utilisation Strategy, which has looked at this route, among others, as candidates to be electrified. The Government expects to publish its next Rail Investment Strategy for 2019-2024 in July 2017.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/3974", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Claire Perry"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Devizes"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Claire Perry"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2015-07-07", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2015-07-07T11:07:06.733Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "27"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Transport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2015-06-29", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Shrewsbury-Wolverhampton Railway Line: Electrification"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the electrification of the train line between Wolverhampton and Telford.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4411", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lucy Allan"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Telford"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lucy Allan"} ], "uin" : "4685"} ], "itemsPerPage" : 10, "page" : 0, "startIndex" : 1, "totalResults" : 3, "type" : ["http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#ListEndpoint", "http://purl.org/linked-data/api/vocab#Page"]} }