Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps he has taken to consult the (a) the residents and (b) local leaders in Merseyside on the impact the Integrated Rail Plan will have on Merseyside following its publication.

Following publication of the Integrated Rail Plan for the North and Midlands (IRP), Ministers from the Department met the Liverpool Metro Mayor to discuss the decisions taken in the IRP, and to explain the benefits it provides for Merseyside.

The Department will continue to engage with local leaders and councils as work on the proposals in the IRP is taken forward.