Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions her Department has had with (a) private road operators, (b) freight and logistics industry representatives and (c) regional transport bodies in the development of the proposed Highways (Finance) Bill.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
During development of the Highways (Financing) Bill, my Department has engaged with a range of stakeholders, including representatives of major businesses, road haulage and logistics companies, local authorities, and other relevant groups. This was to assist with policy development. My officials will continue to engage with key stakeholders during Bill passage.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to improve the efficiency of freight transport and reduce bottlenecks at ports.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The multimodal UK freight and logistics sector delivers reliable, resilient and efficient movement of goods to support UK business and the consumer. The government recognised the importance of the sector in our Industrial Strategy (2025). We have recently committed £27 billion through the third Road Investment Strategy (2026-2031), including enhancements to the A66 between Penrith and Scotch Corner benefiting east-west freight across the Pennines, including from North and Irish Sea ports, and the Lower Thames Crossing which will improve journey reliability for freight arriving from the EU, including goods using the “land bridge” to Northern Ireland.
On rail the TransPennine Route Upgrade and East West Rail will bring significant freight efficiency benefits and the Railways Bill includes a duty on Great British Railways, ministers and the Office of Road and Rail to promote rail freight. The draft National Planning Policy Framework (published Dec 2025) requires local planning authorities to give “substantial weight” to the economic benefits of proposals for development where this would support improvements in freight and logistics. At a more granular level we are working with the Kent and Medway Resilience Forum to maintain efficient freight flows via the Short Straits through the development of plans to manage the introduction of new import controls and the implementation of EES at the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate she has made of the number of secure HGV parking spaces in England; how many secure lorry parking spaces have been created since July 2024; and whether her Department plans to take steps to increase secure overnight parking capacity.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport published the National Survey of Lorry Parking on 29 September 2022 which identified 16,761 HGV on-site parking spaces in England.
A new National Survey of Lorry Parking is currently underway to provide up to date data on the availability, security and quality of lorry parking in England.
The department launched the HGV Parking Match Funding Grant Scheme in 2022 to improve driver welfare facilities, increase lorry parking provision, and enhance site security. In 2023, National Highways set up a separate scheme to support the improvement of lorry parking facilities along the strategic road network.
Across both schemes we currently estimate that up to 1800 spaces will be created. As individual projects were awarded funding at different times and delivery timelines have varied, we are unable to confirm the number of spaces created since July 2024. Additional spaces may also have been created by lorry parking operators who were not part of either scheme.
During the Roads Investment Strategy period 3, using designated funds, National Highways continues to work with operators to explore further opportunities to increase HGV parking, improve safety and security for drivers and their loads, and improve welfare facilities.
In addition, the government recognises the importance of supporting appropriate development, including for the road freight sector, through the planning system. The government consulted earlier this year on a new set of polices within the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), which look to set out planning considerations specific to freight and logistics development and its associated infrastructure, including access to transport networks and appropriate lorry parking provision. The government is considering the responses to this consultation and will issue a response in due course.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to support storage and logistics businesses in Stockport constituency.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The government supports transport, storage and logistics businesses in Stockport through national funding and policy measures, including investment in freight innovation, support for transport decarbonisation, and wider infrastructure funding.
Businesses in Stockport may be eligible for national schemes including the Freight Innovation Fund, which supports small and medium sized enterprises to trial solutions that improve freight efficiency, resilience and decarbonisation. Grants are also available to businesses seeking to move eligible freight by rail or water rather than road through the Mode Shift Revenue Support Scheme.
The government is also supporting logistics firms with fuel cost pressures by extending the 5p fuel duty cut until 31 December 2026 and ensuring there will be no increases to fuel duty this year. In addition, a 12‑month holiday for Heavy Goods Vehicle Excise Duty (HGV VED) from July 2026 will reduce operating costs for hauliers, alongside targeted support to reflect the sector’s exposure to diesel prices and its critical role in UK supply chains.
These national measures are complemented by local transport investment in the Greater Manchester city region, which includes Stockport, such as through the national Transport for City Regions programme, which provides long-term funding to Mayoral Strategic Authorities.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the Guide to the Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) Scheme, published in January 2026, whether she has made an assessment of the long-term financial sustainability of freight flows supported by the scheme once grant funding ends.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) scheme assists companies with the operating costs associated with running rail or inland water freight transport operations instead of using road transport operations, where rail or inland waterway transport is more expensive. The department does not assess the long-term financial sustainability of freight flows through the scheme.
The department is currently evaluating the Mode Shift Revenue Support (MSRS) scheme, with a view to determining how best to support freight and logistics businesses in shifting freight between transport modes once the scheme expires on 31 March 2027. Financial sustainability will be considered when determining this support.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to improve the health and wellbeing of workers in the logistics sector in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
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 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 within the logistics sector and encourages industry-led efforts to improve working conditions and employee wellbeing.
Asked by: Jonathan Brash (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to publish a long-term strategy for improving driver welfare facilities.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are no current plans to publish a national strategy on HGV parking and welfare facilities.
Work is underway in the Department to improve understanding of lorry parking capacity and demand and driver welfare needs, including a national survey of lorry parking. The survey will provide a fresh baseline on the availability of secure lorry parking and HGV driver welfare provision and is scheduled to be published in the autumn.
The survey was last conducted in 2022 and provided the evidence base for the design of the HGV Parking Matched Funding Grant Scheme. Working with industry, this scheme is delivering up to ÂŁ35.7 million in joint investment to enhance truck stops across England. The scheme is helping to improve driver welfare facilities, lorry parking provision, site security and decarbonisation.
This investment is on top of up to ÂŁ30 million in investment by National Highways and industry at truck stops and motorway service areas along the strategic road network.
The government is also prioritising improvements to the planning system. Strengthened policy on freight and logistics has been proposed in the recent consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to improve the consideration of freight, including lorry parking, in the planning system.
Asked by: Jonathan Brash (Labour - Hartlepool)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with the haulage sector on the safety of drivers using overnight facilities.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Department for Transport ministers and officials hold regular discussions with representatives from the logistics and haulage industry to understand the sector’s priorities, including the safety of drivers and overnight facilities.
Recent engagement with the sector includes the Road Haulage Association’s (RHA) parliamentary reception on the 10 February, where I met with industry representatives and heard about their concerns, including the safety of drivers.
I also chaired the Freight Council on the 11 February where industry representatives had the opportunity to raise concerns, including the safety of HGV drivers using overnight facilities.
More recently, on the 25 February I jointly hosted a freight roundtable with the Minister for Policing and Crime, which was attended by haulage sector, trade bodies and police representatives. Both the Minister for Policing and Crime and I heard directly from the sector on their concerns relating to freight crime, including at overnight HGV parking facilities.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of regional disparities in the availability of lorry diver facilities; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure consistent provision across England.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
A national survey of lorry parking is underway to provide a fresh baseline on the availability of secure lorry parking and HGV driver welfare provision throughout England. This will include region by region analysis of overnight lorry parking, utilisation rates and distribution of sites.
The national survey was last conducted in 2022 and provided the evidence base for the HGV Parking Matched Funding Grant Scheme which will provide up to ÂŁ37.5 million investment from government and industry in 30 counties across England. This is on top of up to ÂŁ30 million investment in lorry parking by National Highways and industry in lorry parks along the strategic road network in England.
The government is prioritising improvements to the planning system. Strengthened policy on freight and logistics has been proposed in the recent consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to improve the consideration of freight, including lorry parking, in the planning system.
Asked by: Jim Dickson (Labour - Dartford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department plans to publish a national strategy on HGV parking and welfare facilities.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There are no current plans to publish a national strategy on HGV parking and welfare facilities.
The Department for Transport has commissioned a National Survey of Lorry Parking which is currently underway. The survey will provide a fresh baseline on the availability of secure lorry parking and HGV driver welfare provision and is scheduled to be published in the autumn.
The survey was last conducted in 2022 and provided the evidence base for the design of the HGV Parking Matched Funding Grant Scheme. With industry, this scheme is delivering up to ÂŁ35.7 million in joint investment to enhance truck stops across England. The scheme is helping to improve driver welfare facilities, lorry parking provision, site security and decarbonisation. This investment is on top of up to ÂŁ30 million investment by National Highways and industry at truck stops and motorway service areas along the strategic road network.
The government is prioritising improvements to the planning system. Strengthened policy on freight and logistics has been proposed in the recent consultation on the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to improve the consideration of freight, including lorry parking, in the planning system.