To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of whether bus companies operating in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland are on course to meet Government targets for low-liner bus levels in their fleet of (a) 50 per cent. by 2010 and (b) 100 per cent. by 2017.

No such assessments are made by the Department at constituency or local authority level. The latest survey shows that, as on 31 March 2005, 47 per cent. of local buses in the north-east region as a whole are low-floor, and this is likely to increase as older vehicles are replaced. The region as a whole is therefore well on course to meet the 2010 target.

By 2017 all full-sized buses used on scheduled services will need to comply with the Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations. These regulations do not require low-floor construction, but many operators have chosen low-floor construction as the best way to improve buses for passengers with reduced mobility.