To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which body is responsible for enforcing the wearing of face masks on buses; and what powers of enforcement that body has.

We have worked with the police, operators, and trade unions to agree a six-stage approach to ensuring compliance. Operators will be responsible for the first five stages (Engage, Explain, Encourage, Enable use, and Entry/Exit restrictions). Enforcement by the police or TfL authorised personnel will be the last resort if a passenger fails to comply at other stages.

Our initial approach to enforcement has been to focus on communications to encourage compliance. Operators (and the police) have new powers to deny access to a service, to direct someone to wear a face covering, or direct someone to leave a service if they are not wearing a face covering. Operators have discretion over whether they choose to use these powers; they do not have an obligation to do so.

If passengers fail to comply, as a last resort the Police and TfL authorised personnel have a power to issue a fixed penalty notice of £100 under the PHA Regulations, reduced to £50 if paid within 14 days. The police also have the power to remove passengers from vehicles and use reasonable for if necessary to do so, as well as the power to direct an individual who has responsibility for a child aged 11 or over to ensure that the child complies with the regulations.