Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Heavy Goods Vehicle Driver Shortages

Thursday 4 November 2021 · 2 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Minister regularly meets with Cabinet colleagues to discuss the HGV driver shortage.
  • The government has implemented 28 measures to alleviate the shortage, resulting in 1,000 additional applications for provisional licences per week.
  • The Minister noted that the HGV driver shortage is a global issue, citing Germany's projected shortage of 185,000 by 2027.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Emma Lewell Lab South Shields
Employment
Context

The MP references a critical shortage of HGV drivers affecting supply chains and causing economic disruption.

Question

What recent discussions has the Minister had with Cabinet colleagues on the ongoing shortage of heavy goods vehicle drivers?

Answer from Grant Shapps

The Minister regularly meets his ministerial colleagues, and they have implemented 28 measures to alleviate the HGV driver shortage. These measures are resulting in an extra 1,000 applications every week for provisional licences.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific plan or timeline to address the crisis now.

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Q2 Emma Lewell Lab South Shields
Immigration Employment
Context

The MP highlights a long-standing warning about the HGV driver shortage and criticises the government's delayed response, noting that only 5,000 temporary visas were offered to fill 100,000 vacancies.

Question

Given the warnings of this crisis in June and the recent offer of 5,000 temporary visas for 100,000 vacancies, what is the Government's plan to address this now?

Answer from Grant Shapps

The Minister highlighted that it is a global issue with Germany facing a 185,000 shortage by 2027. Since becoming Secretary of State, he launched 28 measures addressing the crisis and noted an increase in applications for provisional licences to 1,000 per day.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide a specific plan or commitment beyond highlighting global context and past actions.

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