On Wednesday there was this debate about Bus Funding and the Minister who set it out and contributed it was Charlotte Vere who a number of years ago tried to become an MP for Brighton Pavilion where I live and where Caroline Lucas was successful. Charlotte was then introduced by the Conservative Party into the House of Lords and she is know referred to as Baroness Vere of Norbiton. After she initially stated she then focused on the buses in Brighton and Reading. At the beginning of the debate she began the debate with these words

My Lords, with the leave of the House, I shall now repeat a Statement made in another place by my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State. The Statement is as follows:

“With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I would like to make a Statement on the steps that the Government are taking to ensure that bus travel remains accessible and affordable for everyone, while bearing down on the cost of living.

Let me start by summarising the situation as we find it.

A little while later she then said this in part of a long statement:

I note what the noble Baroness says about public ownership of some of the bus companies, and the ones that are left are very good. I think Reading is very good and Brighton is very good, but of course there have been plenty that fell by the wayside because they were not very good. There has already been a massive weeding out of the wheat from the chaff when it comes to publicly owned bus operators, so I do not think that is the silver bullet either.