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Concessionary Bus Travel Bill [HL]

My Lords, there are great difficulties with the funding of the present scheme. The noble Lord, Lord Hanningfield, referred to the flaws in the scheme operated by many local authorities. I do not think that local authorities want to keep the issuing of bus passes, and they certainly do not want to be seen to be obstructing the introduction of smart cards. As I said, that will give us the basic information that we need to ensure the efficient distribution of money to operators. We need to get on with this. I assure the House, and I hope the noble Lord, Lord Hanningfield, will concur, that we shall make every effort to ensure that the necessary discussions take place as quickly as possible. The prize at the end is very substantial.