Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that people using public transport wear appropriate face coverings during the covid-19 outbreak.

Since the introduction of mandatory face coverings on public transport and in transport hubs in England from 15 June, the Department for Transport has taken a series of steps to ensure people comply with the legislation and wear appropriate face coverings.

To help introduce this policy, we focused on informing the public of the new requirements. The Department ran a successful communications campaign through its social media channels and produced a range of materials, including posters, videos and guidance, to support operators in conveying the new rules and exemptions from the policy to passengers.

With regards to enforcement, the regulations made under the Public Health Act 1984 include new powers for operators to deny access to a service, or direct someone to leave a service, who is not wearing a face covering without a valid exemption. There are also powers for the police, British Transport Police and Transport for London authorised personnel to issue a fixed penalty notice of £100. As the Prime Minister announced on 13 August 2020, we are bringing forward stronger enforcement measures which mean fines for repeat offenders double at each offence, up to a maximum value of £3,200.