GREATER MANCHESTER METROLINK EXTENSION - SALFORD QUAYS/ECCLES

That this House notes with grave concern the decision by the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive to award preferred bidder status for the contract to build the Salford Quays/Eccles extension of the Manchester Metro to the Altram Consortium, a part of the Italian Ansaldo Trasporti group; believes that the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive decision to spend ú100 million in Italy will do nothing to create job security and prosperity in the United Kingdom; further believes that contracts of this nature should be awarded to contractors in the United Kingdom railways engineering industry; and calls on the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive seriously to reconsider their actions in approving the preferred bidder.