Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department takes to check for potential conflicts of interest when awarding contracts to companies to complete the scorecard evaluations for train operating companies.

Companies that bid to supply and manage independent evaluators for Performance-Based Fee scorecard evaluations are subject to strict controls throughout the procurement process to check for any potential, perceived and actual conflicts of interest. Independent evaluators sourced through these companies are then required to make a formal confirmation to the relevant supplier and the Department that no conflict of interest exists.