Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the rail ticketing and settlement agreement, and if he will make a statement.

The Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA) is maintained and managed by the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) on behalf of the train operators. It is for the industry to propose changes to the TSA, and for Secretary of State to approve those changes where he is required to do so. The RDG has submitted to the Williams Rail Review its proposals for reform of the fares system, including reform of the TSA, and we are ready to work with the industry to consider how its proposals might work and be tested in the real world.