Contributions
1,819 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD International TravelI am really sorry the hon. Gentleman has gone down this route. I was following him at first, particularly when he talked about the sadness of not being able to see friends and…20 Sept 2021HANSARD International TravelI absolutely agree with the hon. Lady’s enthusiasm for the aviation sector, which was genuinely world-beating prior to the pandemic. That is exactly where we want to get it back…20 Sept 2021HANSARD International TravelMy hon. Friend is absolutely right about the crippling cost of a whole family going away during coronavirus, particularly before we had the protection of large-scale vaccinations…20 Sept 2021HANSARD International TravelI pay tribute to the excellent work that my hon. Friend does as trade envoy to Kenya. I am delighted that Kenya has come off the red list. As I mentioned, we will provide details…20 Sept 2021HANSARD International TravelYes, we absolutely will. My hon. Friend is right to suggest that what we need is international standards through the International Civil Aviation Organisation, so that we are all…20 Sept 2021HANSARD International TravelMy hon. Friend is an excellent Chair of the Select Committee on Transport—always tough, but fair. He has rightly pointed out that there is likely to be a big expansion in the…20 Sept 2021HANSARD International TravelI think it would be wrong not at least to acknowledge that the delta variant has got to every single country in the world—including Australia, which does not allow its own…20 Sept 2021HANSARDMotor Vehicle Driving LicencesThe 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…16 Sept 2021HANSARDHGV Driver ShortagesMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. I think I saw the figure that the US will need another 1.5 million drivers over the next few years. It is experiencing very, very similar…13 Sept 2021HANSARDHGV Driver ShortagesI cannot stand at this Dispatch Box and admit something that is patently untrue. It is not just me saying that; it is the labour unions and the international haulage associations,…13 Sept 2021HANSARDHGV Driver ShortagesI thank my hon. Friend for that great question. Similar to the point made earlier, we want to see truck stops improve. We want to see the overnight facilities improved. We want to…13 Sept 2021HANSARDHGV Driver ShortagesI agree with the hon. Gentleman that we want to drive up the standards, but he somewhat misrepresents the picture of improving quality of not only our roads, thanks to our…13 Sept 2021HANSARDHGV Driver ShortagesI am grateful for the hon. Lady’s welcome of the measures. She is absolutely right to point out that these problems go well beyond a simple shortage of drivers, which, as I have…13 Sept 2021HANSARDHGV Driver ShortagesMy hon. Friend is absolutely right about this. I think the whole House will recognise that the quality of stop facilities has not been anywhere near where it needs to be. That is…13 Sept 2021HANSARDHGV Driver ShortagesMy right hon. Friend is absolutely right to stress, again, the need to have those facilities improved. The answer to his question is yes, I will certainly do that. In fact, I am…13 Sept 2021HANSARDHGV Driver ShortagesWe are always, front and centre, most concerned about road safety; the hon. Lady is absolutely right to point that out. Fortunately we have a very large cohort of drivers who can…13 Sept 2021HANSARDHGV Driver ShortagesLet me first stress that we have been working on the issue for a very long time. In fact, I think it was in my first meeting when I became Secretary of State—certainly my first…13 Sept 2021HANSARDHGV Driver ShortagesWe will carry on looking at all the different measures. I hear what Members across the House have said today and previously about this matter. An increase in salaries, better…13 Sept 2021HANSARDHGV Driver ShortagesWe have indeed had exactly those conversations. The Road to Logistics scheme that I mentioned actually takes into account ex-offenders as well. I am speaking to my colleagues…13 Sept 2021HANSARDHGV Driver ShortagesOnce again, I must stress to the hon. Gentleman that this is a global problem. The chief executive of eastern Europe’s largest hauliers, Waberer’s, said: “It is a global driver…13 Sept 2021