Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, (a) what assessment her department has done of the general health and wellbeing of workers in the logistics sector and (b) what she is doing to improve health and wellbeing.

The Department for Transport is working with industry and across government to support workforce health in the logistics sector. Specifically, the department has been raising awareness among the road freight sector of a driver health training module, approved by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, which forms part of the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence training. In addition, the Department of Health and Social Care is working with the road freight sector, through the Men’s Health Strategy, to increase uptake of NHS Health Checks by HGV drivers.

With industry, the Department for Transport and National Highways are investing in improvements to lorry parking facilities, including better welfare provision, additional capacity and enhanced security, which can contribute to the physical and mental wellbeing of drivers.

More widely, the government is working with employers through initiatives such as the Keep Britain Working programme to support workforce health and help people to remain in work, including non-financial support to Generation Logistics to encourage industry-led efforts to improve working conditions and employee wellbeing.