Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy of the arrangements for the transfer of passenger data between rail franchises and (b) effect a shortfall in the transfer of data has on the quality of passenger service.

All incumbent and incoming franchisees are required to comply with the provisions in their respective Franchise Agreements. This includes the provisions relating to the use and transfer of data held by the incumbent. The incoming and outgoing franchisees must also comply with the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation 2016 and the Data Protection Act 2018. In the case of the West Coast Partnership mobilisation, the Department expects both operators to adhere to these requirements to enable a smooth transition for passengers in time for day one operations under First Trenitalia.