Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost was of the DfT Operator Group Parliamentary Reception on 19 January 2026; and what proportion of that cost was met by the public purse by funding source.

The cost for the Department for Transport Operator Group’s (DFTO) parliamentary reception on 19 January 2026 was £5,470.87, with those costs met by DFTO.

The event was held to provide parliamentarians and parliamentary staff with an opportunity to engage with publicly-owned train operators and to hear about the improvements that are being made. It continued functions of the same kind previously carried out by private sector operators for the same reasons and similarly represented a good use of modest public expenditure.

It also provided a forum for Members of Parliament to discuss matters of interest to their constituents and to discuss progress being made under the Railway Passenger Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024 as well as wider industry developments.