Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the increase in Employers National Insurance Contributions on the budgets of train and bus operators transitioning from franchise to public mode of operations management.

Budgets for 2025/26 are in the process of being agreed, as part of the annual business planning process, with train operating companies. These budgets take account of the increase in the cost of changes to employer National Insurance contributions made at Autumn Budget 2024.

The increase to National Insurance employers’ contributions announced at the Budget is expected to increase bus operator costs. We are committed to working with the sector to deliver better bus services for passengers, and have confirmed investment of over £1 billion for buses in the financial year 2025 to 2026.