Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2024 to Question 8130 on Public Sector: Pay, what the gross cost was of the pay mandates for rail staff.

Indicative DfT analysis estimates that the pay award mandates issued since July 2024 for rail staff could cost approximately £135m in FY 24/25. These estimates reflect the cost above prior TOC and Network Rail budgets. Rail strikes under the last government have cost the taxpayer £850m since July 2022.