MPs back driver training grants for UK residents

A survey commissioned jointly by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and Road Transport Media found 60 per cent support among members of parliament for government grants towards the training of UK residents as truck drivers, as opposed to bringing in drivers from overseas.

29 per cent of all MPs said they ‘strongly supported’ the proposal.

The proposal put forward in the survey, the results of which were released in March prior to George Osborne’s budget statement, was to allocate £100m of government funding over two years for driver training.

“This is a hugely significant result, given that MPs from all sides know the pressure on public finances,” said RHA chief executive Richard Burnett.

“It also shows a keen awareness of the importance of road haulage as a key service industry on which the UK economy depends.”

Polling specialist ComRes interviewed 150 MPs between January and March – almost a quarter of the House of Commons – for the survey, with results weighted to reflect the House’s composition in terms of party affiliation and regional distribution.

71 per cent of Labour MPs supported the policy proposal, said ComRes, whereas the question proved more divisive among Conservatives – with 47 per cent in support.