Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment has he made of the (a) adequacy of the balance of risk and reward in the provisions of the West Coast Partnership rail franchise and (b) ability of the shortlisted bidders to meet those provisions.

The Department does not comment on live competitions. Please note that all bids received for any franchise competition are evaluated against the requirements and instructions set out in the relevant procurement documentation.