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Transport (North-West)

Of course it should be properly funded, and some would argue that it has been. As I said, however, some people have got more money than they should have done, and it should be shared out. The hon. Gentleman may not be aware of this, but the scheme should never have been operated by individual districts, which have negotiated with each transport operator in their area. The scheme should have gone to the county, which should then have provided the service and negotiated on behalf of the districts. That would have made sense. It is the fact that the districts wanted to make money out of the scheme that has created the biggest problem. What I should tell the hon. Gentleman, however, is that it is not right that there is a postcode transport lottery—people in London can use underground trains and the docklands light railway, but young people and pensioners in the north cannot use similar services. There should be no differentials between the benefits to the south and the benefits to the north. As local Members, we should all be on side, ensuring that we represent our people and that they have the same rights as people in London—and that should be paid for by the Government.