SUPPORTING BRITISH MANUFACTURING

That this House commends First Group plc for its decision, announced on 27 April 2016, to invest £70 million in the purchase of 305 new buses; notes that 204 of these buses will be built by ADL in Scotland and 91 by Wrightbus in Northern Ireland; recognises the benefits to British manufacturing that will be derived from 98 per cent of the First Group order being placed with businesses located in the UK; welcomes the continuing strong demand for new buses, trains, trams and other forms of sustainable transport; and calls on organisations from both the private and public sectors involved in the procurement of such vehicles to use their best endeavours to ensure that these are sourced from suppliers with manufacturing facilities located in the UK.