§ Mr. David Marshallasked the Secretary of State for Transport how many people hold heavy goods vehicle licences; and what information he has as to how many of them were in employment at the latest date for which figures are available.
§ Mr. MooreAbout 850,000 people are currently licensed in Great Britain to drive heavy goods vehicles. Of these, about 75,000 are in the Armed Forces; apart from those, I have no information on the extent to which these licences are held by people whose principal occupation is not heavy goods vehicle driving. On the basis of the latest readily available Labour Force Survey for Great Britain (1984), the Department of Employment estimates that 657W 430,000 people are in employment as drivers of road goods vehicles: this probably includes some who drive vehicles below the 7.5 tonne threshold of the heavy goods scheme.