Goods Supply Chain 2021-09-09
2021-09-09
TAGS
Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
▸
Context
The question arises from recent disruptions to the UK's supply networks.
What discussions has he had with representatives of (a) haulage and (b) other companies involved in the goods supply chain on recent disruptions to the UK's supply networks?
I have regular discussions with the road haulage industry. Over the summer, we conducted a public consultation that resulted in over 9,000 responses.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Specific details on discussions with companies are not provided; instead, mentions ongoing consultations and their outcomes.
Under Review
Response accuracy
Q2
Partial Answer
▸
Context
The question addresses the root causes of the current driver shortage in the UK, specifically pointing to Brexit as a significant factor.
Despite all the Government's protestations to the contrary, Brexit and the end of freedom of movement are the lead causes of the current driver shortage in the UK. Will he listen to the Road Haulage Association when it says that it does not have a cat's chance of solving the problem unless it has access to temporary labour in the short term?
I hear what the hon. Lady says, but actually it is a fact that there is a global shortage. In the US, drivers are being hired from South Africa. In Poland, the shortage is 123,000 and, in Germany, 45,000 to 60,000. To say that this is just a Brexit issue is completely untrue; it is about coronavirus. That is why, as I said, we consulted on a series of measures, for which the consultation closed on Monday, to ensure that we can go back to pre-1997 driving licences—a Brexit bonus—to allow for more tests to be taken for HGVs so that tests for both articulated and rigid HGVs can be taken together. There are also one or two other measures that I will return to the House quickly to say more about.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Does not directly address Brexit as a cause of shortage, instead cites global shortages and pandemic impacts; avoids discussing temporary labor.
Global Issue
Coronavirus
Response accuracy
Q3
Direct Answer
▸
Context
The question arises from the challenges faced by the logistics sector in the UK, including driver shortages.
Rugby is an excellent location for logistics, being at the centre of England and at the crossroads of the motorway network. However, despite the challenges that the sector faces, our haulage and courier businesses make sure that we get the goods that we have ordered—usually online—incredibly quickly. Will the Secretary of State pay tribute to the extraordinary efficiency of our logistics sector?
I absolutely join my hon. Friend in that. This sector literally works day and night to provide goods, medicines and vital services around the country, for which we are hugely grateful. It has done that throughout the pandemic in very difficult circumstances. We on the Government side are pleased to see salaries for haulage drivers going up.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
▸
Context
The question addresses the government's perceived failure to address several high-profile crises recently.
This has been a summer where Ministers have shown an abject failure of duty, whether on the exam fiasco, Afghanistan or the HGV driver shortage. We have seen high-profile examples of businesses impacted by supply-chain disruption and suppliers with stock that they could not get out the door, yet Ministers seem to do nothing. Will the Government finally accept that when it comes to a crisis such as this, it is their job to solve it, not just to sit on the sidelines and hope that it all works out? If they do accept that, what action is the Secretary of State taking to bring forward a road freight recovery plan to tackle head on the long-standing warnings of truck driver shortages that have been compounded by Brexit and covid?
First, we have introduced a temporary relaxation on drivers' hours. Secondly, we have introduced £7,000 funding for the large goods vehicle driver apprenticeship programme. Thirdly, there is an additional incentive payment of £3,000 and, as I mentioned, we have been working hard to free up space at the Driver and Vehicle Standards Authority—the testing authority—so we are now testing 50% more drivers than we did before the pandemic.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Does not directly address responsibility for solving crises; instead provides ongoing measures without acknowledging lack of action previously.
Acting
Pandemic Impacts
Response accuracy
Q5
Partial Answer
▸
Context
The question addresses the need for long-term solutions to address driver shortages in the UK.
If that is the best the Government have got, I am afraid that the crisis will not be sorted. They talk about solutions and interventions, but the long-term problems in the haulage industry will not be resolved by those measures outlined, such as making drivers work longer hours. It is only by training more that we can help to fill the long-reported 90,000 vacancies. This problem has been a long time coming. The Secretary of State will know that well before covid, and a year before Brexit, 24,000 would-be truck drivers passed their theory test, but only 9,000 went on to complete their practical test, and yet even with that knowledge and the industry pleading for intervention, nothing has been done. This is a live crisis that is only getting worse. Without real action, he will be left standing alone as the Transport Secretary who stole Christmas, leaving shelves empty, gifts absent from under the tree and restaurants and bars without the stock they need to trade. Will he immediately take action and set up a taskforce to resolve this crisis once and for all?
Mr Speaker, I will be brief. This is the problem of having a pre-written statement. The hon. Member heard the previous answer—a 50% increase in the number of tests. He is right that it is not enough, but that is why we have closed the consultation, which I have just said we will act on fast, on what will introduce even more testing capacity.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Does not address setting up a task force; instead mentions ongoing consultations and plans for increased testing.
Under Review
Response accuracy
Q6
Partial Answer
▸
Context
The question addresses measures to address the current driver shortage in the UK, including considering skills provision and jobseeker support.
I thank my right hon. Friend for those answers. It is clear that there are huge backlogs at the DVLA and the DVSA, and he is working to get through those, but will he also consider other measures to address this crisis, such as skills provision and signposting for jobseekers?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. As well as things such as the provision of skills—I have talked about the £7,000 apprenticeship programme—we are looking at what else we can do working with both the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Does not detail specific actions beyond mentioning apprenticeships; avoids discussing jobseeker support.
Under Review
Response accuracy
Q7
Partial Answer
▸
Context
The industry has welcomed the government's decision to expedite the testing process for HGV drivers, but it is not enough as it will take at least two years to fill the current gap. The questioner had previously written to the Secretary of State in June requesting that HGV drivers be placed on the shortage occupation list.
The penny has finally dropped. For the first time the Government finally seem to understand the scale of the problem, and they seem rattled. This was the reaction of the industry to expediting the testing process, which we welcome. However, it is nowhere near enough, and it will take at least two years to fill the gap, if they attract enough drivers. Why then, as I asked the Secretary of State when I wrote to him back in June, can he not convince the Home Office to put HGV drivers on the shortage occupation list for a temporary period? This is not just about cancelling Christmas; shelves lie empty right now.
I do agree that this is an urgent measure. That is why, before anybody else was talking about it, we were already acting—carrying out these consultations, putting in place these measures—and we have 50% more people being tested. I hear his call for more immigration to resolve the problem, but we do have to stand on our own two feet as the United Kingdom. There are a lot of people coming off furlough, and I look forward to those people getting jobs.
▸
Assessment & feedback
The government's unwillingness to place HGV drivers on the shortage occupation list for immigration purposes
Standing On Our Own Two Feet As The United Kingdom
Response accuracy