Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with First Great Western and the manufacturers of Intercity Express Programme trains regarding the provision of buffet car services.

There have been no discussions of this nature with First Great Western. The train technical specification is available on the Department for Transport website. Paragraph 6.2.6 sets out the design flexibility required to enable the option of a variety of catering solutions to be chosen. My officials are working alongside the Virgin-Stagecoach consortium to explore with Agility Trains East the inclusion of a standard class café-bar on all East Coast InterCity Express Programme trains.