Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for Women and Equalities on the potential impact of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement on the rights of rail passengers.

The Ticketing and Settlement Agreement is a contract between the Train Operating Companies and the Rail Delivery Group, and sets out the industry led process that train operators must follow when proposing changes to ticket offices. It is a long-standing and well-established process.

Under the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement, when proposing major changes to ticket office opening hours (including closures) operators are required, amongst other things, to take into account the adequacy of the proposed alternatives in relation to the needs of passengers. We would also expect operators to consider equality related needs of passengers and make this clear in the notice sent to other operators and passenger groups.