Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assess and monitor the quality of revenue protection services provided by publicly managed train operators; what assessment they have made of whether railway byelaws and the British Railways Act 1989 are being used proportionately and appropriately; and what training they are providing to publicly run train operators to ensure consistency and appropriate use of those regulations.

Our priority is to ensure that fare evasion is addressed, with passengers treated fairly and in accordance with the correct procedures. DFT Operator (DFTO) has reviewed the revenue protection practices of its operators to ensure they are acting consistently and in accordance with legislation. Before an operator enters public ownership, DFTO reviews their practices and prepares to take any action that is required to align activity as appropriate. The Office for Rail and Road carried out a review of revenue protection, and we have accepted all of their recommendations. The Department will publish an update on this in due course which will outline the actions we and industry are taking to ensure revenue protection is addressed.