Autonomous Last-mile Delivery

Opened the debate

Mr Ben Everitt is concerned about the lack of legislative frameworks to support the growth and adoption of autonomous last-mile delivery systems in the UK. He highlights the importance of social acceptance, particularly in integrating such technology into complex urban environments like Milton Keynes. He notes that Starship robots have become a significant part of local life, with hundreds of entries for Christmas designs competition showing community enthusiasm. Mr Everitt emphasizes the benefits of these robots, including reduced traffic and congestion, economic impacts such as cost reduction for businesses and customers, and environmental goals like reducing carbon emissions. The technology is 32 times more energy efficient than normal delivery trucks, aligning well with net zero strategies.

Government Response

It is a delight to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Twigg. I am absolutely delighted to reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Milton Keynes North (Ben Everitt); I thank him for securing this debate on the social impact of autonomous last-mile delivery. Only last week, I spoke to the Transport Committee about self-driving vehicles. The sector is potentially very large, and last-mile autonomous delivery will be just one part of it, and part of what we think of as the connected and automated mobility sector, which, if fully realised, could have a potential market value of some £42 billion by 2035 and create 38,000 new skilled jobs. To support the sector, the Government's Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles has helped to secure £600 million in funding since 2015. There are tremendous benefits to be had, and not merely economic ones; it is good to focus on the social benefits, which hon. Members have touched on. They potentially include connecting our rural communities, reducing isolation, providing better access to education and making it easier for people to see friends and family. Of course, autonomous last-mile delivery can help to deliver goods and services to people's doors. All are attractive benefits of the realisation of the potential in the sector. The first of these benefits is safety. Almost 90% of all recorded road accidents involve human error as a contributory factor. The most recent provisional figures, for the year ending June 2022, show that on average almost five people died on our roads every day. We must bring that number down. Self-driving vehicles have the potential to reduce driver error and thereby improve road safety, which has plateaued over the last few years. There are concerns about cyber security with all autonomous vehicles, and small ones are no exception. The Department for Transport works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre to address that. We chair the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, and that has developed two new international regulations that focus on cyber security and software updates. This technology has tremendous implications for cyber security. In terms of remote driving, this is a slightly different technology. It is distinct from self-driving and automation, but it is a technology that potentially sits alongside self-driving technologies. Again, that needs to be conducted with road safety as a key consideration. Let me reassure Members that the need for legislation is well understood, but it is also important to ensure that it is a legislative framework set up to accommodate all these concerns as well as to maximise the potential benefit.