Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Goods Supply Chain

Thursday 9 September 2021 · 7 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 6 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Alison Thewliss asked about the causes of the driver shortage, and the Minister responded that the shortage is a global issue, not just a Brexit issue, citing examples from the US, Poland, and Germany.
  • Mark Pawsey praised the logistics sector in Rugby for its role in quickly delivering goods, medicines, and vital services, to which the Minister expressed gratitude and acknowledged the sector's work throughout the pandemic.
  • Jim McMahon criticized the Government for failing to address the HGV driver shortage adequately, and the Minister responded by outlining measures such as relaxing drivers' hours and providing funding for apprenticeships and incentive payments.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Alison Thewliss SNP
Business & Trade
Context

The question arises from recent disruptions to the UK's supply networks.

Question

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?

Answer from Grant Shapps

I have regular discussions with the road haulage industry. Over the summer, we conducted a public consultation that resulted in over 9,000 responses.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific details on discussions with companies are not provided; instead, mentions ongoing consultations and their outcomes.

How: Under Review

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Q2 Alison Thewliss SNP
Brexit
Context

The question addresses the root causes of the current driver shortage in the UK, specifically pointing to Brexit as a significant factor.

Question

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?

Answer from Grant Shapps

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.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Does not directly address Brexit as a cause of shortage, instead cites global shortages and pandemic impacts; avoids discussing temporary labor.

How: Global Issue, Coronavirus

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Q3 Mark Pawsey Con
Business & Trade
Context

The question arises from the challenges faced by the logistics sector in the UK, including driver shortages.

Question

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?

Answer from Grant Shapps

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.

Answered
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Q4 Jim McMahon Labour (Co-op) Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton
Employment Brexit
Context

The question addresses the government's perceived failure to address several high-profile crises recently.

Question

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?

Answer from Grant Shapps

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.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Does not directly address responsibility for solving crises; instead provides ongoing measures without acknowledging lack of action previously.

How: Acting, Pandemic Impacts

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Q5 Jim McMahon Labour (Co-op) Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton
Employment Transport
Context

The question addresses the need for long-term solutions to address driver shortages in the UK.

Question

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?

Answer from Grant Shapps

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.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Does not address setting up a task force; instead mentions ongoing consultations and plans for increased testing.

How: Under Review

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Q6 Andrew Jones Con
Employment Transport
Context

The question addresses measures to address the current driver shortage in the UK, including considering skills provision and jobseeker support.

Question

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?

Answer from Grant Shapps

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.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Does not detail specific actions beyond mentioning apprenticeships; avoids discussing jobseeker support.

How: Under Review

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Q7 Gavin Newlands SNP
Immigration Employment Transport
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.

Question

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.

Answer from Grant Shapps

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.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The government's unwillingness to place HGV drivers on the shortage occupation list for immigration purposes

How: Standing On Our Own Two Feet As The United Kingdom

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