Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press release Full steam ahead: young people take the drivers seat to improve train services and unlock jobs of 7 May 2025, if she will publish an evaluation of the impact of this policy within a year of implementation.
The rail industry will be responsible for implementing the policy of lowering the minimum age requirement to be a train driver from 20 to 18, which will be enacted through changes to the Train Driving Licences and Certificates Regulations 2010. To ensure that this is done safely and responsibly, we have asked the rail industry to prepare an implementation plan, which will be kept under regular review. The regulations will be reviewed every five years, in line with usual government practice.