Written question asked by Lisa Nandy (Labour) on Monday, 29 April 2019, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 1 May 2019. It was answered by Andrew Jones (Conservative) on Wednesday, 8 May 2019 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Stagecoach Group

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions officials in his Department have had with the Pensions Regulator on the decision to disqualify Stagecoach from bidding on three rail franchises.

Answer: Department for Transport officials had no discussions with The Pensions Regulator in respect of the Department’s intention to disqualify Stagecoach from the three franchise competitions before making that decision. All bidders were given the same opportunity to bid compliantly and they were warned not to submit bids which were not compliant. Stagecoach breached established rules and, in doing so, they are responsible for their own disqualification.

Secondary information