The comments made by Kit Malthouse, the Policing Minister, on 22 September 2021.
These protests have endangered the lives of road users and the police officers who have responded quickly and responsibly.
The police should be fighting crime in our neighbourhoods, not chasing activists across busy motorways. This is why we are taking this action now and we’ll be working with National Highways on a full injunction.
The comments made by Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, on 22 September 2021.
This injunction is an important step in stopping these activists putting lives needlessly at risk on our busy roads.
Peaceful protest is a cornerstone of our democracy and there will always be space for people to make their voices heard. It cannot be at the expense of public safety.
The police have our full support in cracking down on this reckless behaviour.
The comments made by Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, on 22 September 2021.
We will not let these demonstrators wreak havoc on our roads, disrupt thousands of people’s journeys and put lives in danger. Not only are they creating more traffic and pollution, they are alienating the public from their own cause.
Today, we’re taking action, bringing in further measures to stop those taking part in these self-defeating protests, while we continue the work we’re already carrying out to clean up our air and reach net zero.
The statement made by Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, in the House of Commons on 16 September 2021.
The haulage sector has been experiencing a shortage of HGV drivers worldwide for some time. The issue has been further exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic as driver testing had to be suspended for much of last year, meaning the shortage increased further.
This country enjoys a robust and resilient supply chain. Nevertheless, there is no room for complacency and this Government are determined to do what they can to mitigate the effects as far as is possible. It is therefore vital that we expedite legislation that will expand and accelerate testing—while at the same time acknowledging that the road haulage industry must play its part in improving recruitment and training by offering better pay and conditions.
The Department for Transport and other Government Departments have worked closely with the haulage sector considering a range of options to improve the number of HGV drivers. As part of these measures a consultation closed on 7 September on change to streamline the HGV driving licence regime and removing a separate trailer test for car drivers. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has already taken administrative action to increase capacity and offer more practical HGV tests but more is needed.
The first of these measures will be addressed via a draft affirmative statutory instrument that will be laid before Parliament today and will mean that car drivers will no longer need to take another test to tow a trailer or caravan, freeing up some 30,000 test slots annually. This additional capacity can be used to reduce the backlog in HGV testing.
To make rapid progress on this, we are making use of the urgent procedure under paragraph 14(6) of schedule 8 to the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. I am of the opinion that, by reason of urgency, the requirements for the statutory instrument to be published in draft 28 days before it is laid, and for a scrutiny statement to be made before laying, should not apply.
Accelerating the legislation by forgoing the 28-day publication period will allow earlier laying of the legislation than would have otherwise been possible and strengthen the steps we have already taken to increase testing capacity and ease supply chain issues as quickly as possible. Arrangements will be in place to ensure that the changes made by the legislation are operationally effective as soon as the legislation is in force.
Road safety continues to be of paramount importance. We will engage with training providers and insurers to test the response to this change and to explore how we can seek to ensure that any road safety concerns are addressed. We will also explore options for an industry led accreditation that could offer a standardised testing approach if that would be welcomed by the market, insurers and consumers.
The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, on 17 September 2021.
Labour has been calling for months for a simplified system for international travel, affordability of tests and the publication of full country-by-country data, to allow the public and the travel industry to make informed decisions.
PCR tests play a crucial role in identifying variants of concern and ministers must now set out in detail exactly how they will continue this surveillance – including whether they plan to increase sequencing of tests – to ensure we do not see a repeat of the failings that allowed the Delta variant to spread rapidly through the country.
Unfortunately the Government has chosen yet again to brief an important policy change to the press before bringing the plans to Parliament, preventing proper scrutiny. We all want to see international travel moving freely again, but the public deserve to hear in full how ministers intend to keep people safe and prevent any further variants that could risk the success of our vaccination programme.
The comments made by Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Transport, on 10 September 2021.
From Inverness to St Ives, HGV drivers are helping to keep the country running, and have been throughout the pandemic. The shortage of drivers is a global problem, but we’ve been taking action here in the UK to help industry leaders attract drivers and build a more resilient sector.
We’ve already delivered 50% more tests than were available before the pandemic, but today’s additional measures will deliver up to 50,000 more a year, helping more and more people to kickstart their career as a well-paid HGV driver.
The statement issued by Lothian Buses on 31 August 2021.
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The comments made by Seema Malhotra, the Shadow Minister for Business and Consumers, on 26 August 2021.
The chaos hitting supply chains is of the Conservatives’ making. Their failure to keep their promise to cut red tape for businesses, which are struggling with more paperwork and higher costs, combined with worker shortages, has created a perfect storm.
Whether it’s production grinding to a halt in our car factories, shelves emptying in supermarkets, or restaurants running out of food and drink, businesses are ringing the alarm and saying these problems are only going to get worse.
Ministers must listen to businesses and unions who are calling for them to show leadership and put in place short-term solutions to deal with this acute crisis. But they must also end their chronic dismissal of these concerns, having accused the industry of ‘crying wolf’ over driver shortages, and take action to deliver on the promise of post-Brexit Britain.
The comments made by Jim McMahon, the Shadow Secretary of State for Transport, on 18 August 2021.
Rail travel has long been unaffordable for many people, thanks to the Conservatives prioritising the profits of private companies over passengers. This would be yet another eye-watering hike hot on the heels of the failure of the Government’s so-called money saving flexi ticket scheme.
The comments made by Chris Heaton-Harris, the Rail Minister, on 6 August 2021.
We are working tirelessly to decarbonise transport. For rail that doesn’t just mean cutting the emissions of trains, it also means making the environment around our railways greener for everyone.
By reducing delays, improving air quality and protecting the beautiful scenery around our railways, Greater Anglia, Network Rail and volunteers across the region are doing exceptional work to make services even better for passengers returning to the network.