Oral QuestionDepartment for Transport

“What steps she is taking to improve passenger rail services in the South East.”

Tabled: 22 October 2026Answered: 29 October 2026

Asked by

Peter Swallow

Labour — Bracknell

Answering Minister

the Secretary of State for Transport

Answer from Hansard

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Gareth Thomas)

The creative industries are a huge force for good in our country. They were responsible for 2.4 million jobs last year, and more than £124 billion for our GDP in 2022. They are one of eight growth sectors in our industrial strategy. We are working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and across Government, to identify what more we can do to draw out even more of the potential growth that Britain’s creative businesses can offer.