TRAIN MANUFACTURING BY ALSTOM

That this House notes that soon after securing a ú101 million order to supply rolling stock for the London Underground, the French-owned multinational, Alstom, announced that it had decided to cease production at its plant at Washwood Heath, Birmingham, thereby bringing to an end 150 years of train production at the plant and threatening 1,400 jobs; believes that if there had been a major order for Alstom-produced rolling stock by the French railways, then it is unlikely that it would have been regarded as acceptable for Alstom to either reduce its investment in France or produce the rolling stock outside that country; also believes that it is no more acceptable for the company to run down its operation in Britain; welcomes the Prime Minister's call for a positive outcome to talks taking place between the British Government and Alstom about the restructuring of the Company; and calls on Alstom to recognise its obligations to all the communities on which it has relied for its manufacturing operations and to reconsider its run down of the Washwood Heath plant.