Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Office of Rail and Road is required to approve plans for the use of contingency staff by (a) Network Rail and (b) the Train Operating Companies during industrial action on the railways.

The Department does not hold any information on contingency workers during industrial action. This would be held by the employers. It is for the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) to engage directly with these train operating companies and Network Rail over any safety matters relating to the running of contingency services during industrial action.