diff --git a/mdx/at_aconet/verbs.xml b/mdx/at_aconet/verbs.xml
index 0a45e865..6919e231 100644
--- a/mdx/at_aconet/verbs.xml
+++ b/mdx/at_aconet/verbs.xml
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
     <bean id="serializeImported" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
         <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
         <property name="outputFile">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${mdx.dir}/at_aconet/imported.xml"/>
             </bean>
         </property>
diff --git a/mdx/common-beans.xml b/mdx/common-beans.xml
index bfda5122..5a664007 100644
--- a/mdx/common-beans.xml
+++ b/mdx/common-beans.xml
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@
     <!--
         Java class parent shorthand beans.
     -->
+    <bean id="File" abstract="true" class="java.io.File"/>
     <bean id="String" abstract="true" class="java.lang.String"/>
     <bean id="QName" abstract="true" class="javax.xml.namespace.QName"/>
     
diff --git a/mdx/int_cobweb/verbs.xml b/mdx/int_cobweb/verbs.xml
index 2b333117..49cd2a9a 100644
--- a/mdx/int_cobweb/verbs.xml
+++ b/mdx/int_cobweb/verbs.xml
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
     <bean id="serializeImported" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
         <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
         <property name="outputFile">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${mdx.dir}/int_cobweb/imported.xml"/>
             </bean>
         </property>
diff --git a/mdx/int_edugain/verbs.xml b/mdx/int_edugain/verbs.xml
index b0e278af..15d98b02 100644
--- a/mdx/int_edugain/verbs.xml
+++ b/mdx/int_edugain/verbs.xml
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
     <bean id="serializeImported" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
         <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
         <property name="outputFile">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${mdx.dir}/int_edugain/imported.xml"/>
             </bean>
         </property>
diff --git a/mdx/test/verbs.xml b/mdx/test/verbs.xml
index 59217f8a..8a6d93e7 100644
--- a/mdx/test/verbs.xml
+++ b/mdx/test/verbs.xml
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
     <bean id="serializeImported" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
         <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
         <property name="outputFile">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${mdx.dir}/test/imported.xml"/>
             </bean>
         </property>
diff --git a/mdx/uk/beans.xml b/mdx/uk/beans.xml
index fa6c3d0c..9711fdeb 100644
--- a/mdx/uk/beans.xml
+++ b/mdx/uk/beans.xml
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@
     <bean id="uk_fetchFragmentFiles" parent="mda.DOMFilesystemSourceStage">
         <property name="parserPool" ref="parserPool"/>
         <property name="source">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${entities.dir}"/>
             </bean>
         </property>
@@ -453,7 +453,7 @@
     <bean id="uk_serializeStatistics" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
         <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
         <property name="outputFile">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${output.dir}/ukfederation-stats.html"/>
             </bean>
         </property>
diff --git a/mdx/uk/collect.xml b/mdx/uk/collect.xml
index 2a1c8c4d..9b1d2c45 100644
--- a/mdx/uk/collect.xml
+++ b/mdx/uk/collect.xml
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
     <bean id="serializeCollected" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
         <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
         <property name="outputFile">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${mdx.dir}/uk/collected.xml"/>
             </bean>
         </property>
diff --git a/mdx/uk/generate.xml b/mdx/uk/generate.xml
index d3204acd..defd00f4 100644
--- a/mdx/uk/generate.xml
+++ b/mdx/uk/generate.xml
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@
     <bean id="serializeUnsignedProductionAggregate" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
         <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
         <property name="outputFile">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${output.dir}/ukfederation-metadata-unsigned.xml"/>
             </bean>
         </property>
@@ -309,7 +309,7 @@
     <bean id="serializeUnsignedWayfAggregate" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
         <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
         <property name="outputFile">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${output.dir}/ukfederation-wayf-unsigned.xml"/>
             </bean>
         </property>
@@ -429,7 +429,7 @@
     <bean id="serializeCDSAllAggregate" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
         <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
         <property name="outputFile">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${output.dir}/ukfederation-cdsall-unsigned.xml"/>
             </bean>
         </property>
@@ -492,7 +492,7 @@
     <bean id="serializeUnsignedFallbackAggregate" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
         <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
         <property name="outputFile">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${output.dir}/ukfederation-back-unsigned.xml"/>
             </bean>
         </property>
@@ -545,7 +545,7 @@
     <bean id="serializeUnsignedTestAggregate" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
         <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
         <property name="outputFile">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${output.dir}/ukfederation-test-unsigned.xml"/>
             </bean>
         </property>
@@ -599,7 +599,7 @@
     <bean id="serializeUnsignedExportAggregate" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
         <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
         <property name="outputFile">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${output.dir}/ukfederation-export-unsigned.xml"/>
             </bean>
         </property>
@@ -822,7 +822,7 @@
                 <bean id="serializeUnsignedExportPreviewAggregate" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
                     <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
                     <property name="outputFile">
-                        <bean class="java.io.File">
+                        <bean parent="File">
                             <constructor-arg value="${output.dir}/ukfederation-export-preview-unsigned.xml"/>
                         </bean>
                     </property>
diff --git a/mdx/uk/mdq-multisign.xml b/mdx/uk/mdq-multisign.xml
index 963c8fd4..62ac0813 100644
--- a/mdx/uk/mdq-multisign.xml
+++ b/mdx/uk/mdq-multisign.xml
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@
                     <property name="outputStrategy">
                         <bean parent="mda.FilesInDirectoryMultiOutputStrategy" p:nameSuffix=".xml">
                             <property name="directory">
-                                <bean class="java.io.File" c:_="${mdq.output}"/>
+                                <bean parent="File" c:_="${mdq.output}"/>
                             </property>
                             <property name="nameTransformer">
                                 <bean parent="mda.PathSegmentStringTransformer"/>
diff --git a/mdx/uk/verbs.xml b/mdx/uk/verbs.xml
index 25b1fcb1..7f582df6 100644
--- a/mdx/uk/verbs.xml
+++ b/mdx/uk/verbs.xml
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@
                 <bean parent="mda.SerializationStage">
                     <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
                     <property name="outputFile">
-                        <bean class="java.io.File">
+                        <bean parent="File">
                             <constructor-arg value="${output.dir}/statistics-charting.html"/>
                         </bean>
                     </property>
@@ -92,7 +92,7 @@
                 <bean id="serialize" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
                     <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
                     <property name="outputFile">
-                        <bean class="java.io.File">
+                        <bean parent="File">
                             <constructor-arg value="${mdx.dir}/uk/temp.html"/>
                         </bean>
                     </property>
@@ -225,7 +225,7 @@
     <bean id="fetchImportMetadata" parent="mda.DOMFilesystemSourceStage">
         <property name="parserPool" ref="parserPool"/>
         <property name="source">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${entities.dir}/import.xml"/>
             </bean>
         </property>
@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@
     <bean id="serializeImportedMetadata" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
         <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
         <property name="outputFile">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${entities.dir}/imported.xml"/>
             </bean>
         </property>
@@ -359,7 +359,7 @@
     <bean id="serializeImported" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
         <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
         <property name="outputFile">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${mdx.dir}/uk/imported.xml"/>
             </bean>
         </property>
diff --git a/mdx/us_incommon/verbs.xml b/mdx/us_incommon/verbs.xml
index 3c3c49e5..bd9340a8 100644
--- a/mdx/us_incommon/verbs.xml
+++ b/mdx/us_incommon/verbs.xml
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@
     <bean id="serializeImported" parent="mda.SerializationStage">
         <property name="serializer" ref="serializer"/>
         <property name="outputFile">
-            <bean class="java.io.File">
+            <bean parent="File">
                 <constructor-arg value="${mdx.dir}/us_incommon/imported.xml"/>
             </bean>
         </property>