Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to improve or increase transport services at night to ensure the safety and security of passengers from offensive behaviour and disorder, with particular reference to the safety of women.

We want to see more and more people using public transport - one of the key ways of encouraging this is to make sure it is a safe option. The transport industry, local authorities, the police and others are already investing in, and undertaking, wide-ranging initiatives to improve the personal security of public transport passengers and staff and to keep our public transport systems as low crime environments.

However, the Government is not readily able to increase passenger services in commercial transport markets. For example, decisions about bus services outside London are largely a matter for the private sector. Equally, it is difficult to see that any such increase would have a positive effect on matters of personal security.