Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to evaluate
the success of the measures they have put in place to address the
shortage of HGV drivers.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for
Transport () (Con)
My Lords, we have taken decisive action to address the acute
driver shortage, with 25 specific measures taken by the
Government already to support the industry as it resolves this
long-standing workforce issue. We are seeing results, with the
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency dealing with around 4,200
applications daily, more than double the pre-Covid rate.
(LD)
My Lords, we have a truly world-beating driver shortage in the
UK. Given that the last time we discussed this the Minister said
that the problem goes back to 2010, can she explain why the
Government have had to resort to government by panic button, with
some 25 last-minute measures to try to avert a crisis? Why was
there no long-term plan to improve pay rates and conditions in
order to attract the new entrants that the Government now say are
so needed?
(Con)
I think that I will probably say this many times: the haulage
sector is a private sector and the Government do not customarily
get involved in individual pay rates within those sorts of
sectors. We have been working with the sector to address this
issue. Indeed, many years ago now we commissioned a study into
the availability of lorry parking and we are doing another one to
see what we can do in that regard. So it is not fair to say that
we have not been cognisant of this issue for quite some time. We
have been working with the industry because it is mostly up to
the industry to resolve it.
(Lab)
My Lords, this crisis was eminently predictable in light of the
age profile of UK haulage drivers and the prospect of Brexit. Do
the Government now recognise that temporary visas and increased
testing capacity will not resolve the basic problem? Do Ministers
accept that in order to attract and retain the next generation of
HGV drivers we need not only to provide more training, increase
pay and stop the permanent escalation of hours but to improve
working conditions, particularly adequate and hygienic facilities
at lorry parks, which are provided by public authorities in much
of the continent but not here, so that too many drivers have to
sleep in their cabs?
(Con)
I think that the noble Lord has just pointed out the complex and
convoluted nature of the solutions to this problem, which is
indeed long-standing. I say again that we are working closely
with the industry on this. Of course it is not just the haulage
industry that has skin in this game; it is also the people who
provide services to the haulage industry. The noble Lord will be
pleased to hear that I am working with National Highways to
figure out what we can do to improve services at motorway service
areas and to see whether we can develop some more.
(Con)
My Lords, the information recently disclosed is that there was a
backlog of some 56,000 HGV licences that were being delayed in
the process, as well as delays in driver training, by the DVSA.
This caused an outrage and, in addition, the threat of industrial
action. Will the Minister please tell us what steps the
Government have taken to address these issues?
(Con)
I reassure my noble friend that I have had several conversations
with the DVLA on this matter. I assure her that currently there
is no backlog at all for provisional vocational licences; these
are being processed within the normal turnaround time. As of
Monday, there were 27,000 applications for vocational driving
licences awaiting processing. However, the holders of the vast
majority of those, which are renewals, will of course still be
able to drive under Section 88 provisions.
On the strike at the DVLA, it was and remains extremely unwelcome
and unjustified. The PCS has repeatedly claimed that increasing
the backlog is a success. I do not agree; that is not a success.
It is impacting our supply chains and those people who need to
use their cars to travel. However, I also point out that the vast
majority of DVLA staff are not striking, and I welcome the work
that they do.
The (CB)
My Lords, further to the question asked by the noble Lord, , does the Minister believe that
we can learn from others, including our European neighbours, in
the provision of dedicated roadside facilities, such as the
Relais Routiers network of over 1,200 restaurants with safe
parking and shower facilities? These are popular with British HGV
drivers when they drive through France. The UK has no such
dedicated facilities for lorry drivers, and we are in urgent need
of them.
(Con)
I am not sure we will necessarily follow the French example, but
I accept that we need to improve the quality and quantity of
facilities for our drivers and the availability of lorry parking
for rest breaks. Obviously, I am working very closely with the
owners and operators of the 114 motorway service areas we have.
Of course, there are countless other providers of facilities that
are away from the strategic road network. I agree that we need to
improve them and perhaps there might be something more about that
in the spending review.
(Lab)
No one should object to heavy goods vehicle drivers being paid a
lot more for the valuable work they do, but now we read that some
local authorities are facing shortages of drivers of refuse
collection vehicles and gritters because they are leaving for
newly substantially higher-paid driving jobs for supermarket
chains, among others. Since this is a direct spin-off from the
Government’s own hard Brexit, will the Government commit to
reimbursing cash-strapped local authorities for the cost of
paying drivers of refuse collection vehicles and gritters more to
retain their services and ensure the maintenance of these vital
public services this winter?
(Con)
As the noble Lord knows, there is a shortage of lorry drivers
across Europe so we would not necessarily have been able to rely
on cheap EU labour in the current situation. I accept there will
be a transition from where we were previously to where we are
now. Some people will move jobs and I accept that the key to that
is to increase training for HGV drivers. We are providing the
tests and working with the training sector to provide training so
that people can come through and drive our garbage disposal
trucks and gritters.
The Lord Speaker ()
? Not present? I
call the noble Lord, .
(Non-Afl)
If I were a foreign lorry driver, I would go home for Christmas
knowing that on 1 January I would get another big cash bonus to
retake up a lorry driving job. Considering that, can the
Government guarantee that we will all have our turkeys available
on Christmas Day this year?
(Con)
As I think I have tried to point out, the Government are
extremely active in this area: 25 measures and counting in terms
of making sure that we not only address the short-term issues but
consider the medium and long-term solutions to this current
shortage.
(Con)
My noble friend may not be aware that I am the honorary president
of the UK Warehousing Association. It is deeply concerned about
the shortage of forklift truck drivers, which is impacting once
again on the supply chain. What can my noble friend do to work
with the industry to try to resolve the situation in the run-up
to Christmas so that we can empty the warehouses and get the
supply chain moving as best we can?
(Con)
I am very happy to work with the UK Warehousing Association on
any measures we can take to increase the number of forklift truck
drivers coming through. In return, I would really like the UK
Warehousing Association to encourage its members to provide
decent facilities and places to have a rest for HGV drivers when
they are dropping off.
(Lab)
My Lords, can the Minister indicate what assessment has been
undertaken of the potential impact on the availability of HGV
drivers after the Government impose checks on goods coming in
from the EU as a result of the Government’s hard Brexit?
(Con)
We do not believe there will be an impact from any checks coming
from the EU.
