Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of permitting cross-subsidisation between publicly owned and delivered rail services on the sustainability of rural rail services.

Train operating companies are currently preparing business plans. They will give consideration to rail service patterns, including for rural rail services, with the objective of improving performance of the railway for passengers, reducing the net cost of the railway and retaining access to services for those communities this Government is trying to help most.