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Future Of UK Rail Freight Industry

EDM number 480 in 2008-09, proposed by Kelvin Hopkins on 15/01/2009.
Categorised under the topic of Railways.

That this House notes the significant environmental benefits of rail freight over other transport modes; welcomes the considerable indirect Government subsidy provided to the rail freight industry to encourage freight on rail; further notes that this subsidy has and will continue to amount to hundreds of millions of pounds through significant track access concessions, contributions to Eurotunnel charges, the Transport Innovation Fund, freight facilities grants and the Strategic Freight Network; further notes that in 2007, German state national railways, Deutsche Bahn, took over the United Kingdom's main rail freight company EWS and that this company is now called DB Schenker Rail; further notes reports that Deutsche Bahn's acquisition of EWS has resulted in a `visibly favourable effect' on the company's returns helping to contribute to a 37 per cent. increase in revenues to about 2.4 billion euros; is therefore alarmed that DB Schenker Rail plans to make 15 per cent. of its operational workforce redundant, which could significantly impact on United Kingdom rail freight capacity and which in turn will be a huge setback in the battle to reduce carbon emissions; is also deeply concerned that the United Kingdom Government's rail freight policy is being undermined by overseas and commercial interests; and calls on DB Schenker Rail urgently to reconsider its decision and for the Government to press the company for a moratorium on the proposed redundancies until an industry-wide assessment of the impact of such redundancies, which would include the involvement of the trade unions, has been made.

This motion has been signed by a total of 51 MPs, 2 of these signatures have been withdrawn.

MPDateConstituencyPartyType
Kelvin Hopkins15/01/2009Luton NorthLabourProposed
Gwyn Prosser15/01/2009DoverLabourSeconded
David Taylor15/01/2009North West LeicestershireLabourSeconded
David Drew15/01/2009StroudLabourSeconded
Katy Clark15/01/2009North Ayrshire and ArranLabourSeconded
Jeremy Corbyn15/01/2009Islington NorthLabourSeconded
Robert Wareing19/01/2009Liverpool, West DerbyIndependentSigned
Peter Bottomley19/01/2009Worthing WestConservativeSigned
Mike Hancock19/01/2009Portsmouth SouthLiberal DemocratSigned
Alan Meale19/01/2009MansfieldLabourSigned
Chris McCafferty19/01/2009Calder ValleyLabourSigned
Lynne Jones19/01/2009Birmingham, Selly OakLabourSigned
Glenda Jackson19/01/2009Hampstead and HighgateLabourSigned
Bob Russell19/01/2009ColchesterLiberal DemocratSigned
Gordon Prentice19/01/2009PendleLabourSigned
Lindsay Hoyle20/01/2009ChorleyLabourSigned
David Lepper20/01/2009Brighton, PavilionLabourSigned
Ian McCartney20/01/2009MakerfieldLabourSigned
Martin Caton20/01/2009GowerLabourSigned
Jim Dobbin20/01/2009Heywood and MiddletonLabourSigned
Neil Gerrard20/01/2009WalthamstowLabourSigned
Jim Devine20/01/2009LivingstonLabourSigned
Dai Davies20/01/2009Blaenau GwentIndependentSigned
Bill Etherington21/01/2009Sunderland NorthLabourSigned
Mark Durkan21/01/2009FoyleSocial Democratic and Labour PartySigned
Alan Simpson21/01/2009Nottingham SouthLabourSigned
Kate Hoey21/01/2009VauxhallLabourSigned
David Hamilton22/01/2009MidlothianLabourSigned
Hugh Bayley22/01/2009City of YorkLabourSigned
Rudi Vis22/01/2009Finchley and Golders GreenLabourSigned
Eric Martlew26/01/2009CarlisleLabourSigned
Harry Cohen26/01/2009Leyton and WansteadLabourSigned
Ann Cryer26/01/2009KeighleyLabourSigned
Brian Jenkins27/01/2009TamworthLabourSigned
Albert Owen27/01/2009Ynys MLabourSigned
Michael Clapham27/01/2009Barnsley West and PenistoneLabourSigned
John Mason27/01/2009Glasgow EastScottish National PartySigned
Janet Dean28/01/2009BurtonLabourSigned
David Heyes02/02/2009Ashton-under-LyneLabourSigned
David Anderson09/02/2009BlaydonLabourSigned
Eric Illsley23/02/2009Barnsley CentralLabourSigned
John McDonnell27/02/2009Hayes and HarlingtonLabourSigned
Marsha Singh04/03/2009Bradford WestLabourSigned
Paul Flynn04/03/2009Newport WestLabourSigned
Robert Marshall-Andrews10/03/2009MedwayLabourSigned
Diane Abbott11/03/2009Hackney North and Stoke NewingtonLabourSigned
Jim Cousins20/04/2009Newcastle upon Tyne CentralLabourSigned
Andrew MacKinlay23/04/2009ThurrockLabourSigned
John Austin01/06/2009Erith and ThamesmeadLabourSigned
Ian GibsonUnknownWithdrawn
Michael Jabez FosterUnknownWithdrawn

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