Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the public sector is prohibited from operating rail passenger services except as an operator of last resort; and whether the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail will propose bringing forward legislative proposals to amend the Railways Act 1993.

As we move to implementing the Williams-Shapps Plan for Rail we will take the opportunity to review existing legislation, including the rules on who is able to provide passenger services to ensure it is still up to date and appropriate.