Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the Service Quality Regime for the Avanti West Coast train operator provides good value for money.

The Department uses performance fees to incentivise operators to deliver the right outcomes for passengers.

Standards provided at stations and on trains are evaluated through an independent regime, the Service Quality Regime (SQR), so fees are awarded fairly and accurately ensuring value for money for taxpayers.

To date no fees have been paid to Avanti under SQR. The first period assessed under SQR are scores for April to October 2023 and evaluation is currently underway.