Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to ensure that disabled people are able to access rail travel (a) in the absence of second safety critical member of staff and (b) at unstaffed stations.

The Inclusive Transport Strategy, which was published in July 2018, sets out the action the Department is taking to improve access to transport for disabled people, including to the rail network. This includes working with industry partners to improve the Passenger Assist scheme through which disabled passengers can book the assistance they need, and the provision of information about accessibility to enable better journey planning.

All operators are required as a licence condition to have a Disabled People’s Protection Policy in place, which sets out how disabled people can seek assistance on board and at stations.