Written question asked by Jo Stevens (Labour) on Wednesday, 30 November 2016, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Friday, 2 December 2016. It was answered by Paul Maynard (Conservative) on Wednesday, 7 December 2016 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Railways: Infrastructure

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he has taken to ensure that employment practices used by companies and organisations working on railway infrastructure are conducive to the safety of the rail network.

Answer: Responsibility for ensuring the safety of the railways rests with the operators of trains and managers of infrastructure, who have legal duties in this regard – including a duty to co-operate with each other to ensure the safe operation of the railway system. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR), in its role as health and safety regulator, is responsible for ensuring compliance with the law, for encouraging continuous improvement and for taking enforcement action where necessary to protect the safety of railway workers and the travelling public.

Secondary information