Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2019 to Question 6129, whether the Discretionary Rejection Panel’s decision to commence the review of Stagecoach and Virgin Trains’ passport on the Virgin Trains East Coast franchise five weeks in advance of the franchise termination in June 2018 constitutes a precedent which will be followed for future franchise terminations.

The timing of any future Discretionary Rejection Panels that the Department holds will be based on the specifics of the franchise in question