Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will list the EU regulations or directives which underpin the operation of (a) Eurotunnel services and (b) the cross-border train service between Belfast and Dublin.

EU legislation provides the regulatory framework for cross-border rail services, including the Belfast-Dublin Enterprise service. This makes provision for market access rights; safety and interoperability requirements; train driver licensing; as well as the rights of passengers and cross-border rail workers. On 27 November the Department for Exiting the European Union provided analysis covering 58 sectors of the economy to the House of Commons Committee on Exiting the EU and the House of Lords European Union Committee. The rail sectoral report included a full analysis of the current EU rail regulatory regime and is available at: https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/Exiting-the-European-Union/17-19/Sectoral%20Analyses/29-Rail-Report.pdf.

In addition, a series of bilateral or multilateral international agreements, including the Treaty of Canterbury, the Concession Agreement and the Rail Usage Contract, provide the legal framework which underpins the operation of the Channel Tunnel Fixed Link and Eurotunnel’s services.

The cross-border rail services that link us with the EU, both through the Channel Tunnel and on the island of Ireland, have greatly benefited citizens and businesses in both the UK and the EU. It is in our mutual interests to ensure these services continue to be a success.