Select committee: Transport Committee
Recommendation 19
First Report - Road freight supply chain
Published 1 Jun 2022
Paragraph 59
Addressed to Department for Transport
Transport Committee Road freight supply chain All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
The Supply Chain Levy should be applied to those at the production and sales end of the supply chain, such as large retailers, oil companies and online service giants. These organisations currently make large profits which do not trickle further down the supply chain to the companies which transport the goods. As a result, hauliers and ferry operators are posting operating losses and therefore cannot afford to increase the pay and welfare standards of those they employ. The Supply Chain Levy would require the parts of the supply chain where margins are greatest to deliver improved standards and the resilience to the supply chain which they themselves require to ensure their shelves, warehouses and petrol pumps are full.
From: Transport Committee, First Report - Road freight supply chain (HC 162), paragraph 59, 1 June 2022
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 30 September 2022 (deadline 1 August 2022).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government welcomes the report and sets out 33 measures on the HGV driver shortage, noting most recommendations while agreeing that more freight should move to rail and water and that industry has more to do to attract and retain talent.
- On driver training costs, the Government "notes this recommendation" and says the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence review report will be published "in due course", with its conclusions "taken forward to public consultation".
- On lorry parking, it does "not at this stage intend to set up a Government-Industry taskforce". It is launching a £32.5M matched-funding grant "later this year", with the National Lorry Parking Survey to be published "early in 2023".
- On the Supply Chain Levy, the Government "notes this recommendation" and states that "taxes are a matter for HM Treasury and all taxes are kept under review".
- On modal shift, the Government "agrees that more freight should be taken from the road and on to rail and water". It refers to a rail freight growth target on which it "will consult on shortly".