Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is responsible for determining the terms of (a) rail franchise tenders and (b) rolling stock provision within rail franchise tenders.

The Department is responsible for determining the terms of the Invitation to Tender (ITT) for railway franchises pursuant to the functions of the Secretary of State for Transport under the Railways Act 1993 and the Railways Act 2005. It is a matter for franchise bidders to determine the provision of rolling stock to meet ITT requirements.