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UK Rail Freight Jobs And Capacity

EDM number 787 in 2016-17, proposed by Paul Flynn on 08/12/2016.
Categorised under the topics of Employment and Railways.

That this House recognises the huge importance of rail freight in reducing carbon emissions and costs associated with road congestion; is therefore concerned at the announcement by the UK's largest rail freight company, DB Cargo, that it is to cut 900 rail jobs throughout the UK which will be a 30 per cent reduction in a skilled railway workforce, therefore further threatening the future of UK rail freight; notes that the cuts are in part being blamed on a decline in coal and steel freight, but is concerned that this decision is being driven by the business interests of the German state railway which owns DB Cargo; is further concerned that the most recent company return for DB Cargo (UK) Ltd states that in the previous year the company disposed of its interest in 90 railway properties to third parties raising £156 million which will ultimately be used as a source of revenue for German state railways; believes that instead of allowing the asset stripping of the UK's freight industry the Government should be urgently intervening to stop these job losses; and calls on the Government as a matter of urgency to begin to develop a long-term strategy for freight as part of a sustainable industrial strategy, including expanding rail freight infrastructure and capacity, giving greater priority to freight in railway strategy and developing publicly owned rail freight.

This motion has been signed by a total of 19 MPs.

MPDateConstituencyPartyType
Paul Flynn08/12/2016Newport WestLabourProposed
Ian Mearns08/12/2016GatesheadLabourSeconded
Kelvin Hopkins08/12/2016Luton NorthLabourSeconded
Lisa Nandy08/12/2016WiganLabourSeconded
Ruth Smeeth08/12/2016Stoke-on-Trent NorthLabourSeconded
Jim Cunningham12/12/2016Coventry SouthLabourSeconded
Jim Shannon12/12/2016StrangfordDUPSigned
Chris Stephens12/12/2016Glasgow South WestScottish National PartySigned
Liz Saville Roberts13/12/2016Dwyfor MeirionnyddPlaid CymruSigned
Alan Meale13/12/2016MansfieldLabourSigned
Martyn Day14/12/2016Linlithgow and East FalkirkScottish National PartySigned
Alex Salmond16/12/2016Signed
Margaret Ferrier16/12/2016Rutherglen and Hamilton WestScottish National PartySigned
Alan Brown19/12/2016Kilmarnock and LoudounScottish National PartySigned
Drew Hendry19/12/2016Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and StrathspeyScottish National PartySigned
John Nicolson19/12/2016East DunbartonshireScottish National PartySigned
Joanna Cherry09/01/2017Edinburgh South WestScottish National PartySigned
Owen Thompson09/01/2017MidlothianScottish National PartySigned
Rachael Maskell30/03/2017York CentralLabour/Co-operativeSigned

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