Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Transport – in the House of Commons at 10:30 am on 28 October 2010.
Andrew Gwynne
Shadow Minister (Transport)
10:30,
28 October 2010
I thank the Department for responding so quickly to my named day questions, although I do not consider "I will answer this question shortly" to be much of a reply. On the bus service operators grant, the Minister has said:
"The benefits of that grant are clear: it ensures that the bus network remains as broad as possible, while keeping fares lower and bringing more people on to public transport, with the obvious benefits of reducing congestion...in our towns and cities."-[ Hansard, 29 June 2010; Vol. 512, c. 842.]
Given his swingeing 20% cut to the grant, why will he not now accept that fares are likely to go up, passenger numbers will decrease and congestion will worsen?
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
