DRIVER EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING IN ROAD HAULAGE INDUSTRY: PUBLICATION OF ANNUAL REPORT (Hansard, 2 November 2000)

§ Lord Whitty

My Lords, I am not sure that seeking an answer to that question required an amendment of this nature! The Road Haulage Forum, in addressing the requirements to modernise the road haulage industry, has, among other things, undertaken to look at the skills requirements in the industry, in particular driver skills. There appears to be a shortage of drivers, not because of a lack of people who have qualified at some time in their lives to be HGV drivers, but because of the terms and conditions under which they work. There is also quite an elderly age profile of active HGV drivers in the industry and not enough younger trainees coming through.

The Road Haulage and Distribution Training Council and the Driving Standards Agency are cooperating in looking at that and at the development of national occupational standards to promote a more professionally oriented lifetime-learning qualification in improvement of skills within the industry. All those things will be considered by a sub-committee of the Road Haulage Forum. They are important in addressing some of the problems in the industry to which my noble friend Lord Macdonald referred in answer to the noble Lord, Lord Bradshaw, earlier.

However, that has nothing much to do with this legislation, but I thought I owed the noble Earl an answer as he has been so co-operative in helping to take us towards the end of Report stage of this Bill before half-past seven.

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("1996 c. ix.	London Local Authorities Act 1996.	Part II.")
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("2000 c. vii.	London Local Authorities Act 2000.	Section 48. Schedule 2.")

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		("In section 43, subsection (11) and, in subsection (12), the words following paragraph (d).")
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("(1) DRIVER TRAINING AND DRIVING INSTRUCTORS
Chapter	Short title	Extent of repeal
1988 c. 52.	Road Traffic Act 1988.	Section 89(2A) and (5A). In section 97— in subsection (3), paragraph (e) and the word "and" before it, and subsections (3A) and (3B). In section 98(3), paragraph (c) and the word "or" before it. In section 108(1), the definitions of "approved training course for motor cyclists" and "prescribed certificate of completion". In section 130— in subsection (3), the words "under this section", and in subsection (5), the words "granted under this section". Section 131(5). Schedule 3.
1989 c. 22.	Road Traffic (Driver Licensing and Information Systems) Act 1989.	Section 6. In Schedule 3— in paragraph 11(c), sub-paragraph (ii) and the word "and" before it, in paragraph 15, sub-paragraph (g) and the word "and" before it, and in paragraph 18, sub-paragraphs (b) and (d).
(2) OTHER PROVISIONS").
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("1991c. 22.	New Roads and Street Works Act 1991.	In section 74(4), the words "if he does so".")