My Lords, first, I bring to your Lordships’ attention a matter relating to one of the SIs to be debated in Grand Committee today. It relates to the SI that covers the removal of the car and trailer driving test, which was due to come into force on 15 November and was debated in the other place yesterday. For procedural reasons, the SI will now be unable to be approved by the other place by 15 November, so we are exploring all options with the House authorities about bringing in an identical SI with an amended date in the future. I hope that noble Lords agree with me that it remains appropriate to debate the substance of these SIs, as planned, in Grand Committee today.
These two statutory instruments, along with the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2021, which follows the negative procedure, are a package of measures designed to increase driving examiner availability and allocate this time to test heavy goods vehicle drivers, thereby helping to reduce the acute HGV driver shortage in this country. This is a global issue. It has affected the haulage industry for many years, but it has been further exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, which meant that driver testing had to be suspended for much of last year. During this time, the shortage increased further as new drivers could not join the industry to replace those leaving.
The shortage of HGV drivers affects the supply chains not only of fresh food but of fuel, medicines and medical equipment across Great Britain. We therefore need to tackle this matter with urgency, and these SIs are part of the 30 interventions that the Government are putting in place to tackle the shortage of drivers.
5 pm
I turn to the contents of the SIs. The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2021 will remove the requirement for drivers who hold a category B licence, namely for driving a car, to take a separate car and trailer— category B + E—test before they can drive a vehicle combination in that class. Instead, category B + E entitlement will automatically be granted to car drivers and backdated to all valid category B car licences that have been obtained since the 1 January 1997. Of course, licences prior to that date already have that entitlement. Removing the test will free up around 2,400 more tests each month that can then be allocated to those wishing to take an HGV driving test. The public consultation showed support for the change, with 65% responding positively to the removal of the trailer test.
Road safety is, of course, of the utmost importance, and I understand why road safety concerns have been raised. That is why we have committed to review this legislation at regular intervals, initially after three years have passed and thereafter at five-year intervals. We recommend that all car licence holders—that is, anyone with a B licence and not only those issued after 1997 and so impacted by these changes—should undertake training to safely tow and manage trailers. We are developing an accreditation scheme, with help from
the trailer industry and testing providers, to further incentivise drivers to get training and so maintain our excellent road safety record. This scheme, planned to launch early next year, will focus on specific driver needs when towing different types of trailers through the provision of specialised modules and will provide an opportunity to offer standardised training to any driver who wishes to tow a trailer, thereby enhancing road safety standards and delivering the specific skills that drivers who tow need.
I take road safety very seriously, and we should be proud that the UK has some of the safest roads in the world. I would like to reassure noble Lords that our support for the #towsafe4freddie campaign will continue, and we will draw attention to the importance of motorists doing safety checks whenever they are towing. We will also encourage drivers through our existing campaigns and will work with leisure and towing groups, as we already do, to reach out through their communications to offer training.
The second instrument, the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2021, will similarly free up driving examiner time, which can be reallocated to more driving tests. This SI will remove the staging element for provisional vocational licence holders wishing to obtain a licence to drive an articulated HGV, which is a category C + E vehicle, or a bus and heavy trailer licence, which is category D + E. Currently, a test for a rigid HGV or bus, a category C and D respectively, must first be passed before a person may then take a test for the articulated or trailer-towing vehicle.
This SI will remove the requirement for the trailer-less stage, although of course that does not mean that people will not still take that test, because many people drive a category C vehicle. However, people will not then have to get that before they get to the articulated licence. Anyone issued with a provisional licence for an HGV or a provisional bus licence will be issued with this + E entitlement from 15 November. Of course, the option remains for a person to stage their training, if they wish, or to take the category C test and stop there, because it is a very popular type of vehicle.
Streamlining in this way has the support of the haulage industry and received significant support in our public consultation, with more than 70% of people either agreeing or strongly agreeing with the proposals. It will free around 900 more tests every month and decrease the amount of time, and probably the cost, relating to becoming qualified. This will be achieved without losing the integrity of the full test or reducing road safety standards.
The final instrument in the package, which is subject to the negative resolution procedure, is the Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2021. This allows for the off-road elements of the practical driving test for large vehicles to take place with a third-party examiner, overseen by the DVSA.
As we have seen in recent weeks, the HGV driver shortage has the potential to impact every aspect of our daily lives, so we must deal with it urgently. This is what we are doing today. Together, these measures free an additional 3,300 test appointments every month, which will help to reduce the acute driver shortage. I commend these regulations to the Committee.