Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of potential conflicts of interest arising from Great British Railways acting as both infrastructure manager and passenger service operator.

Government is bringing track and train together in Great British Railways, which will be a directing mind able to take long-term strategic decisions to make the best use of the network and which will deliver benefits for passengers, freight users and taxpayers. Beyond the specific requirements of the Railways Bill, GBR will be subject to legal obligations such as public law requirements to act transparently and fairly, and competition and subsidy control legislation, all of which helps ensure that GBR will act fairly, transparently and in the public interest.