Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on ensuring the financial viability of the UK transport industry during the covid-19 outbreak.

DfT has been engaging with a range of transport industry sectors to understand and monitor the impact of Covid-19. The Chancellor has set out an unprecedented range of support measures for businesses across the economy that the transport industry can access. This includes schemes to raise capital, flexibilities with tax bills, and financial support for employees.

We have discussed and agreed with HMT appropriate support to ensure continuation of key services. This includes services to support key workers and essential freight capacity. We have suspended normal rail franchise agreements and transferred all revenue and cost risk to the government for a limited period to safeguard minimum rail services. On Maritime Freight Capacity, support for operators on key routes across the Irish Sea (up to 5 routes) and GB-mainland Europe (up to 26 routes, incl. Eurotunnel). We have committed to funding worth almost £400 million to protect bus services for people who need to make essential journeys.

Any business that continues to experience financial distress after taking advantage of the cross-economy schemes and implementing all possible self-help measure can apply for bespoke support. This additional bespoke support is treated as the last resort.

We are continuing to discuss the support that may be required as we enter the restart and recovery phase of the Covid outbreak.