Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to enforce the wearing of face coverings on public transport.

Since the introduction of the legal requirement to wear a face covering on public transport in England, we have seen high levels of compliance on the network. However, we recognise that not everyone will follow these rules. Enforcement officers will take steps to engage, explain, encourage and enable passengers to wear face coverings, subject to exemptions. My Department continues to work closely with transport operators, the police and Transport for London to consider the approach to enforcement. We have already introduced stricter penalties for those failing to comply with face covering regulations as we seek to curb the spread of the virus.