Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has he made of the value for money of the £47.8 million funding allocated by his Department to the (a) Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern, (b) Southeastern and (c) Chiltern and Arriva Trains Wales rail operators to improve wi-fi on trains since 2016.

In 2014, the Department stated that the Network Rail fine of £47.8 million would be used to fund on-train wifi services including Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN), South Eastern, Chiltern and Wales and Border (operated by Arriva Trains Wales at the time) rail franchises. A value for money assessment was undertaken for the On-train Wifi policy, which included these franchises, and it had a high value for money.