Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Vacancies

(asked on 15th October 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve the efficiency of export and import supply chains for UK-based food and drink business in the context of HGV driver shortages.


Answered by
Victoria Prentis Portrait
Victoria Prentis
Attorney General
This question was answered on 21st October 2021

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Our high degree of food security is built on access to a range of sources, including robust supply chains domestically, and from a diverse range of other stable countries.

On 20 July, the Government announced a package of measures to help the road haulage industry tackle the issues caused by the HGV driver shortage. These measures consist of support for the recruitment and retention of drivers, proposals to streamline the process to obtain a licence, increasing the number of driving test slots available, offering financial assistance for training, and backing industry-led initiatives to improve the working conditions for drivers and the image of the industry.

We announced further measures on 25 September. These include training up to 4,000 new HGV drivers through skills bootcamps and the adult education budget. Alongside this, 5,000 HGV drivers will be able to come to the UK in the run-up to Christmas, providing short-term relief for the fuel and food haulage sectors.

Nearly one million letters have been sent to drivers who currently hold an HGV driving licence, to thank them for their vital role supporting the economy, and to encourage those who have left the industry to consider returning. We will continue to work closely with industry to address the HGV driver shortage and to explore all avenues which will help the sector recover and help the economy thrive.

The Government has launched a short consultation on 14 October setting out proposals to temporarily extend so-called “cabotage” rights. This would allow overseas haulage operators delivering goods to the UK to make further unlimited collections and deliveries within a 14 day period, as opposed to the current limit of two such trips within seven days.

Subject to the outcome of the one-week consultation, these temporary measures would come into force towards the end of this year for up to six months, helping secure supply chains in the medium term alongside the wider package of measures the Government has put in place to address the shortage of drivers more broadly.

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