Question
I associate myself with the Secretary of State’s remarks concerning the Spanish rail disaster. Research from Common Wealth estimates that £129 billion was spent on outsourcing public services in 2024-25, generating billions in private profits. I welcome the announcement from the First Secretary of State of a dedicated insourcing unit. Will the Secretary of State meet with recognised trade unions to develop a Department for Transport insourcing strategy, including across rail and other transport services, to improve value for money, rebuild public capacity and protect workers?
Answer
My hon. Friend is entirely right to raise the opportunity presented by the work being led by the First Secretary of State. I meet with the leadership of the trade unions regularly, and I know that this issue has already been raised at the Rail Engagement Group. Our lifting of the ban on new municipal bus companies in the Bus Services Act 2025 also presents opportunities. Where insourcing drives better outcomes for passengers and better value for the taxpayer, we should undoubtedly look at it.
Verdict: AMBER (42/100)
The reply covers the first part of the question well: the Secretary of State says she meets trade union leadership regularly and that insourcing has already been raised at the Rail Engagement Group. It does not, however, say that a meeting on insourcing will be held specifically. On whether a departmental insourcing strategy will be developed, the reply is largely hedged. It says the department "should undoubtedly look at it" depending on outcomes, but gives no commitment, timetable, or mechanism, so the person who asked would likely need to press for a clear answer on the strategy.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Secretary of State meet recognised trade unions on insourcing in the Department for Transport's areas of responsibility. | Addressed | Direct | The Secretary of State states she meets trade union leadership regularly and that insourcing has already been raised at the Rail Engagement Group, which describes the general pattern of engagement with unions on this issue as the item asks. It does not explicitly promise a meeting specifically on insourcing, which keeps it short of a fully literal answer. |
| Will the Department for Transport develop an insourcing strategy covering rail and other transport services. | Partially Addressed | Hedged | The item asks whether a departmental insourcing strategy will be developed, and the reply never confirms or declines this. Its closest statement, "we should undoubtedly look at it", is conditional on outcomes and offers no strategy, timetable, or mechanism, while the bus-companies point and the deferral to the First Secretary of State's work are only indirectly related. |