Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Government announcement of temporary visas for 5,000 HGV drivers on 25 September 2021, how many temporary visas have been granted for HGV drivers who transport (a) fuel and (b) food.

Details of the numbers of temporary work visas granted for HGV drivers in food distribution will be published in the usual way via the Home Office’s quarterly immigration statistics.

On 1 October, the Home Office stood up at pace an emergency arrangement for HGV drivers in the fuels supply sector. This arrangement permitted fully licenced and qualified drivers, identified by the fuel transport sector and endorsed by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, to take up employment in the UK on a temporary basis.

This arrangement has formed part of a wider response. The Government has implemented 32 different actions to promote jobs, training, and a range of other initiatives to get more people into HGV driving.