Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 2 February (HL4989), what evidence they have that rail franchisees routinely plan for football fans travelling to away matches in large numbers.

The Department for Transport requirement for franchisees to plan for special events is designed to encourage direct stakeholder engagement to identify the appropriate response in relation to special events, balancing the needs of all passengers. The requirement is without prior approval from the Secretary of State unlike other Timetable changes and as such the Department does not collect evidence of how this is applied by the franchisee.