Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has considered alternatives to the staff travel pass for Brighton and Hove Buses and Metrobus staff for use on the GTR network.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Travel arrangements with bus operators are typically not in scope for the Department’s rail Public Ownership Programme. Under the TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006) process, the Department is currently consulting Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) staff affected by the removal of this reciprocal travel benefit arrangement. Current reciprocal travel arrangements between Brighton & Hove and Metrobus and GTR are internal travel benefits provided by Go-Ahead Group. GTR’s successor public sector organisation, Thameslink Southern Great Northern Limited, will not be part of Go-Ahead Group.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether she has had discussions with the Mayor of London on the causes of gender disparities in the unemployment rate in London.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Treasury Ministers have meetings with representatives of a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hm-treasury-ministerial-overseas-travel-and-meetings
This Government takes gender equality seriously. We are working to increase women’s participation in the labour market and close the gender pay gap, including funding 30 hours of childcare for working parents of under-fives, so more women can work the hours they choose and build their careers if they want to.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on what grounds was the decision taken to terminate staff rail pass, the reciprocal travel arrangement between Govia Thameslink Railway and the local bus operators Brighton & Hove Buses and Metrobus, when the rail service is nationalised.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Travel arrangements with bus operators are typically not in scope for the Department’s rail Public Ownership Programme. Under the TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006) process, the Department is currently consulting Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) staff affected by the removal of this reciprocal travel benefit arrangement. Current reciprocal travel arrangements between Brighton & Hove and Metrobus and GTR are internal travel benefits provided by Go-Ahead Group. GTR’s successor public sector organisation, Thameslink Southern Great Northern Limited, will not be part of Go-Ahead Group.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consultation was undertaken with staff of both Govia Thameslink Railway, Brighton and Hove Buses and Metrobus ahead of the decision to end the reciprocal staff rail discount.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Under the TUPE (Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006) process, the Department is currently consulting Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) staff affected. Staff at Brighton & Hove and Metrobus are not within scope of such consultations.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has assessed the potential impact on staff retention and recruitment for local bus operators of the ending of the reciprocal GTR staff rail pass.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It has been a difficult decision to end the discretionary bus travel benefits arrangements that have been in place for Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) staff and one that has not been taken lightly. Travel arrangements with bus operators are not typically in scope for the Department’s rail Public Ownership Programme. Current reciprocal travel arrangements between Brighton & Hove and Metrobus and GTR are internal travel benefits provided by Go-Ahead Group. GTR’s successor public sector organisation, Thameslink Southern Great Northern Limited, will not be part of Go-Ahead Group.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to improve employment opportunities for women aged 16 to 25.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce regional disparities in the women’s employment rate.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary for Work and Pensions, with reference to the ONS document Female unemployment rate (aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted): %, published on 21 April 2026, what steps he is taking to tackle the increase in female unemployment.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Mims Davies (Conservative - East Grinstead and Uckfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pension, whether he has made an assessment of trends in the levels of gender disparities in the unemployment rate.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.