To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of public transport links in (a) Medway and (b) Kent.

The Department has worked to improve rail services in Kent, bringing new journey opportunities with the introduction of Thameslink services to London Bridge, Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Farringdon and St. Pancras.

The new South Eastern Franchise will deliver better and more reliable journeys, and more room for passengers, integrating seamlessly with future Thameslink and Elizabeth Line services to transform travel across London, Kent and parts of East Sussex.

The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding service provision is primarily a commercial matter for bus operators. Decisions on subsidised bus services are a matter for individual English local authorities, in the light of their other spending priorities. The Bus Services Act 2017 provides the tools local authorities need to improve local bus services.