Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what further steps they are taking to recruit HGV drivers to meet (1) the current shortfall, and (2) the predicted demand given the increase in online retail and e-commerce.

We have taken decisive action to address the acute driver shortage, with 32 specific measures taken by the Government already. These include funding apprenticeships, skills bootcamps training for jobseekers, and support for drivers to return to the sector, expanding HGV driver testing capacity and improving licencing processes.

We will continue to work with the road haulage industry and other stakeholders to evaluate the impact of these measures, identify further areas for action and monitor changes in demand.