The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Trudy Harrison)

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I beg to move,

That the Committee has considered the draft Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2021.

It is pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Dowd. This statutory instrument, together with the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2021, and the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2021, which follows the negative procedure, are part of several measures through which the Government are seeking to address a heavy goods vehicle driver shortage.

The regulations were originally laid before Parliament on 16 September 2021 as the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021. However, the No. 2 regulations were not approved in both Houses in time to come into force on 15 November 2021 as intended. Since such affirmative statutory instruments cannot be amended once laid before Parliament in draft, we have taken action to lay the regulations afresh, as the draft Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) (No. 5) Regulations 2021. The No. 5 regulations are a replication of the No. 2 regulations, save for an updated title and coming-into-force provision.

The haulage sector has for some time been experiencing an acute shortage of heavy goods vehicle drivers worldwide. The coronavirus pandemic suspended driver testing for much of last year, which increased the shortage further. The shortage affects the supply chains of not only fresh food but fuel, medicines and medical equipment across Great Britain.

As hon. Members will be aware, we are working at pace to deliver Government interventions, including regulatory changes that could alleviate the HGV driver shortage. I recognise the Committee’s concern that evidence could not be provided; I reassure hon. Members that the Department for Transport takes seriously its responsibility with regard to evidence-based policy-making. I am pleased to report that an impact assessment has now been submitted to the Regulatory Policy Committee for scrutiny. I am grateful that these debates could be held at the earliest opportunity, so that we can address this issue as a matter of priority.

This statutory instrument is part of 32 Government interventions to help alleviate the haulier shortage. The overall aim of the SI is to increase the number of heavy goods vehicle drivers in Great Britain by increasing the number of test slots available to drivers wishing to pass the HGV driver test, while maintaining road safety standards following any changes made to the driving licence testing regime.

The intention of the No. 5 regulations is to remove the need for driving licence categories B and E—that is, car and trailer tests—which are currently required by car drivers who wish to tow a heavy trailer. Driving examiners have limited test availability, and this legislation would free up driver examiner time that could be reallocated to conducting HGV tests. That should provide additional availability of tests for potential HGV and bus drivers, to help lessen the driver shortage. For car drivers, the change in legislation will mean that they will be able to tow a heavier trailer—up to 3.5 tonnes or 3,500 kg— automatically once they hold a category B licence, without needing to take an additional B+E test.

Theory and practical training will continue to be recommended to help maintain driver safety on the roads. An accreditation scheme is being developed, with help from the trailer industry and training providers. The scheme will provide voluntary training opportunities for car drivers wishing to tow a trailer of any size for either recreational or business use. My officials have met with the all-party parliamentary group on trailer and towing safety to develop the outline of the scheme, and to consider core modules that would be applicable to all drivers who tow, as well as sector-specific modules. These might cover activities such as safely managing livestock and breakdown recovery towing.

We are already working with trainers and those in leisure and business to develop the trainer package. Together with these groups and the police, we will identify the additional data needed to monitor towing standards effectively. The scheme is planned to launch early next year and will focus, through the provision of specialised modules, on specific driver needs when towing different types of trailers. We will continue to recommend car drivers to undertake training on safely towing and managing trailers. We will encourage drivers through our existing campaigns, and we will work with leisure and towing groups to reach out with offers of training through their communications.

Road safety is, of course, of the utmost importance. That is why we have committed to reviewing this legislation at regular intervals—initially after three years have passed, and thereafter at five-year intervals. An impact assessment will be published early in the new year. Owing to road safety concerns, we decided to hold an additional review three years after legislative change, rather than after the standard five years. It is worth noting that around 6 million drivers who passed their test before 1 January 1997 can already drive a car with a trailer without having to take a separate test. This change affords that same entitlement to drivers who passed the test after 1997.

We should be proud that the UK has some of the safest roads in the world. I reassure the Committee that our support for the “Tow Safe 4 Freddie” campaign will continue.

Trudy Harrison

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I thank my right hon. Friend for his intervention. I will endeavour to ensure that the impact assessment takes that figure into consideration. We are working with training providers, and we are also looking at potential compensation schemes. My right hon. Friend should, in the first instance, suggest that his constituent accesses the helpline via the Government website.

We should be proud that the UK has some of the safest roads in the world. I referred to the “Tow Safe 4 Freddie” campaign. This will continue. We will draw attention to the importance of motorists doing safety checks whenever they are towing. The removal of the separate test for car drivers wishing to tow a trailer or caravan frees up some 30,000 vocational test slots annually. That equates to up to 550 extra tests a week, or a 37% increase in weekly tests, relative to pre-pandemic levels. This SI supports the streamlining of testing to increase the number of HGV tests taking place. Thanks to the great efforts of Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency staff, the backlog of 55,000 driving licence applications for heavy goods vehicle drivers has been eliminated. These are now being processed within the normal turnaround time of five working days.

Keeping our roads safe is of paramount importance, and we will monitor the situation and act if needed, if our roads become less safe. This SI is just one of 32 Government interventions to tackle this issue, to help reduce the strain on our national supply chains, which is affecting every aspect of our daily lives.