Select committee: Transport Committee
Conclusion 23
First Report - Road freight supply chain
Published 1 Jun 2022
Paragraph 78
Addressed to Department for Transport
Transport Committee Road freight supply chain All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
We welcome the steps the Government have taken to get more freight off our roads and on to our railways. We hope this is a process the establishment of Great British Railways will accelerate. The current model which sees freight moved from one end of the country to the other by road is illogical. Moving to a multi-modal model, in which long distances are served by rail and water and shorter journeys by road, will help the country decarbonise and improve the efficiency and resilience of the freight and logistics sector. It will also improve the lives of HGV drivers who would spend fewer nights away from home.
From: Transport Committee, First Report - Road freight supply chain (HC 162), paragraph 78, 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".