Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing financial support to international rail operators with UK connections during the covid-19 pandemic.

We recognise that the international rail sector, as with the rest of the international travel sector, has been significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

DfT officials have engaged extensively and supported operators across transport sectors, including the international rail sector, to make full use of the various government support schemes available where appropriate, including the Coronavirus job retention scheme.

We continue to engage regularly with international rail stakeholders including Eurostar, Eurotunnel and HS1 Ltd, and monitor very closely the impacts of Covid-19 on this sector, as well as the decisions taken by companies in response.