Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether officials prepared any estimates for the Secretary of State for Transport of the value transferred, or to be transferred, to the franchisees of the East Coast rail franchise as a result of terminating that franchise; and if so, when.

The Department for Transport is preparing contingency plans as we do not believe that the franchise will be financially viable through to 2020. The Secretary of State has a clear duty to do that for passengers. The Department is in discussions to ensure the needs of passengers and taxpayers are being met in the short term whilst laying the foundations to bring forward the reforms under a future long-term competitively procured contract. When a conclusion to that work is reached, the Secretary of State will make a statement in the House as he undertook to do on 10 January.