Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of requiring all future rail operator contracts to include compensation schemes for delays of 15 minutes and longer.

Delay Repay 15 (DR15) is a major improvement for passengers seeking compensation for delays and cancellations to their train services. It entitles passengers to claim compensation for delays of 15 minutes of more on all ticket types and regardless of the cause of disruption to their rail journeys.

It is Government policy that DR15 is rolled out across the rail network as Franchises come up for renewal, and four franchises (GTR, Southwestern Railway, West Midlands Trains and c2c) currently operate the scheme.

The Department for Transport is also considering introducing DR15 during the life of existing Franchises if the Department can establish that the proposals from the Train Operating Companies are affordable and represent value for money for taxpayers.