Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the level of compliance of transport operators' interpretation and implementation of Government guidelines on personal protective equipment for transport workers.

Keeping transport workers and passengers safe is of paramount importance as we continue to scale up services across the transport network as part of the restart.

Public Health England guidance has been clear that there is very little scientific evidence of widespread benefit from personal protective equipment outside of health and social care settings. Guidance on cleaning of non-healthcare settings and shipping and sea ports and how PPE may be used in these contexts has been published in February and March respectively. The Department has worked with and continues to work with operators to ensure they can meet the PPE needs as set out in this guidance.

The Department has held roundtables and meetings at all levels with operators across the transport sector in the response to COVID-19, including to support with the implementation of the Government’s PPE plan and the effective implementation of key measures of social distancing and good hand and respiratory hygiene in transport settings.

Ultimately is the responsibility of operators, and indeed all employers, to assess what measures should be in place for their staff on the basis of the risk assessments they are undertaking in line with guidance and to safely address operational needs.