Rail Strikes

Debate between Tahir Ali and Baroness Winterton of Doncaster

Wednesday 15th June 2022 Commons Chamber

[Tahir Ali (Birmingham, Hall Green) (Lab)]

I come from a maintenance background and I know how maintenance works. When you get rid of engineers, you cannot replace them. You cannot decide one day that you have got rid of 500 too many maintenance staff or engineers; they are specialist workers who need training over the years. Once they have gone, so has the knowledge.

Drones and technology can replace people to some extent, but not to the extent being proposed. How do you suggest that the jobs that will be affected will not put at risk the safety of the people using the trains and lead to future crashes that would cost the lives of transport people?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Rosie Winterton)]

Order. Interventions do need to be short and not directly addressing the hon. Member.

Education Return and Awarding Qualifications in 2021

Debate between Tahir Ali and Baroness Winterton of Doncaster

Thursday 25th February 2021 Commons Chamber

[Tahir Ali (Birmingham, Hall Green) (Lab) [V]]

I have been contacted by a number of concerned parents and teachers from my constituency, who have expressed worry about the safety of schools opening on 8 March. Will the Secretary of State assure us that he is doing all in his power to work closely with parents, teachers, the trade unions and communities to ensure that, when schools return on 8 March, sufficient resources and support are in place for every school to ensure that school staff are prioritised for the vaccine, to prevent further disruption to children’s learning? The Secretary of State himself has previously said he believes that education staff should be prioritised for vaccination. Why is that not happening now?

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Dame Rosie Winterton)]

I remind the House again that questions need to be fairly brief if I am going to get everybody in.