Millions of people across the UK will be encouraged to kickstart a rewarding career in logistics, with the government unveiling a multimillion-pound new plan to bolster the supply chain and create a more resilient and greener haulage sector.

A major campaign is being launched today (15 June 2022) to recruit and retain a skilled workforce in the logistics sector. This builds on the government’s unprecedented action during the pandemic, which has led to sector reports of pressures easing, following global challenges on the supply chain.

The campaign is one part of the government’s Future of Freight plan published today, setting a strategy for the government and industry to work more closely together to deliver a world-class, seamless flow of freight across the UK’s roads, railways, seas, skies and canals.

The Generation Logistics campaign, led by Logistics UK, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK, and backed by £345,000 government funding, includes an online hub full of resources, learning materials and job openings to make it easier for people to kickstart their career in the industry, as well as TV and radio adverts which will help to attract candidates.

This follows the government’s 33 actions taken to tackle the heavy goods vehicle (HGV) driver shortage and protect the supply chain. This included increasing the number of driving test slots, investing in new roadside facilities and introducing bootcamps, which has seen the number of available HGV drivers stabilise.

It comes as part of wider government efforts to help more people into work, since this is the best way to support families in the long-term while growing the economy to address the cost of living.

The strategy launched today includes £7 million investment to boost the uptake of innovative new technology, helping decarbonise and digitalise the sector. Funding could go towards initiatives like trialling hydrogen cranes to support decarbonisation or even testing low carbon fuels across the industry.

These technologies will support a more cost-efficient, reliable, resilient and sustainable freight sector. Today’s investment will support wider economic growth by ensuring businesses can operate efficiently, getting the goods they need on time and at a reasonable cost while safeguarding their jobs.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said:

The pandemic shone a spotlight on the importance of our country’s freight sector. As a proud, free-trading nation, moving goods at home and abroad has always been the backbone of Britain’s economy.

Our 33 interventions to tackle the shortage of drivers means we now have a stable recruitment pipeline and a robust supply chain, and today’s measures will help the sector grow from strength to strength.

We are committed to working closely with the industry to attract a strong pipeline of talent, decarbonise the freight network and deliver a world-class haulage sector.

The government’s unprecedented action to help the sector tackle the global shortage of drivers has included making 11,000 HGV driver training places available through Skills Bootcamps, injecting a major and sustained boost to the number of HGV driver tests available, and investing £52.5 million in improvements in roadside facilities and lorry parking.

Since then the sector has started to recover and industry bodies are reporting positively on the number of HGV drivers stabilising. They indicate that the initiatives introduced by government and industry have started to yield results, showing that perceptions of the industry are changing as a result of government support and more people are looking to train and qualify as HGV drivers.

New HGV drivers are taking and passing their driving test in record numbers. Between March 2022 and May 2022, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) carried out 29,384 HGV tests – 54% more than the corresponding period in 2019 before the pandemic.

Today’s Future of Freight plan explains how a National Freight Network will be explored to help remove any existing barriers faced by the sector that prevent it from delivering a seamless flow of goods across the country.

A call for evidence will also be launched to better understand how the sector can more easily approach planning applications, so there are fewer obstacles to creating bigger warehouses to meet customer demand, introducing more HGV parking or improving driver facilities.

In a further bid to decarbonise the sector, a Freight Energy Forum led by both government and industry will be set up to help create a clear path to net zero and to assess the freight sector’s future energy and fuel needs.

Saul Resnick, CEO DHL Supply Chain UK and Ireland, said:

The logistics industry contributes £127 billion to the UK economy and offers career opportunities that are varied and rewarding, so we’re pleased to see this reflected in the government’s Future of Freight strategy and the Generation Logistics campaign.

As we look to the future, bringing new talent into the workforce will be essential to help the UK achieve its ambitions in the sector, whether that’s building a robust and resilient supply chain or the path to net zero.

As a global business, DHL Supply Chain is making significant investments to support both recruitment and retention across the workforce and the development of clean technologies. We look forward to working alongside the government on this and other initiatives.

With 1.6 billion tonnes worth of goods transported in and around Britain each year and more than 2 million workers currently employed by the wider logistics sector, the government recognises the freight industry’s vital contribution to the country’s economy and continues to take unprecedented action to support this crucial sector.

Phil Roe, President of Logistics UK, said:

Generation Logistics will provide our industry with the capability to attract and retain the skilled and ambitious workforce that it needs as our role in society continues to flourish.

After the recognition of our workforce as key workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is critical that we protect and enhance our talent pool to keep our sector developing and thriving to support all sectors of the economy.

Generation Logistics will give us the opportunity to do just that by attracting and retaining the very best talent from across the country.

The members of the Freight Council said:

We strongly welcome the Future of Freight plan, which marks a step-change in government’s partnership with the freight and logistics sector. We are proud that this plan, co-developed between us and government, marks the first major milestone of the Freight Council.

The plan sets out a clear path for our sector to continue delivering for the whole country, powering economic growth, global trade and levelling up, while ensuring a more efficient, resilient, reliable and environmentally sustainable future.

We look forward to further collaboration as we move ahead to implement the industry and government commitments contained in the plan.

• Millions will receive the first of two cost of living instalments totalling £650 from 14 July 2022, part of the £1,200 support package this year
• Initial automatic instalment will be £326, with the rest to follow in a second instalment in the autumn
• Comes as part of £37 billion government package to help families with cost of living pressures

The first instalment of the £650 for qualifying low income households in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will land in bank accounts from 14 July 2022, continuing to the end of the month.

The move will see millions of households initially £326 better off as the government delivers significant interventions to support groups who are most vulnerable to rising costs. In total, millions of households will receive at least £1,200 from the government this year to help cover rising costs.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Thérèse Coffey said:

With millions of the lowest-income households soon seeing the first of two cash instalments land into their bank accounts, we are taking action to directly help families with the cost of living.

This one-off payment totalling £650 is part of our £37 billion cost of living support package that will put an extra £1,200 into the pockets of those most in need.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak added:

We have a responsibility to protect those who are paying the highest price for rising inflation, and we are stepping up to help.

In July over 8 million people will get their first £326 payment to help with rising prices, as part of a package worth at least £1,200 for vulnerable families. I said we would stand by people when they needed help, and we are.

The second instalment of £324 will be sent to qualifying low income households in the Autumn. The payments are designed to be deliberately slightly unequal to minimise fraud risks from those who may seek to exploit this system.

The eligibility date for the second instalment will be announced soon.

Low-income households are benefiting from government support in a variety of different ways this year as global inflationary pressures, exacerbated by the unjust war in Ukraine, have caused prices to rise for several essentials. The government understands that many people are worried about the impact these rising prices will have on their household finances, which is why £37 billion of support is being provided to boost budgets and mitigate the worst of these pressures.

Support includes the direct payment of £650 for over 8 million households on benefits, a separate £300 payment for pensioners, and a £150 payment for disabled people, which can be paid on top of the £650 payment.

This is on top of £400 for all households to help with energy bills, and an extra £150 for properties in Council Tax bands A-D, meaning millions of the lowest-income households will receive at least £1,200 in support this year. This is all in addition to changes to the Universal Credit taper rate and work allowances worth £1,000 a year on average for 1.7 million working claimants, a rise in the National Living Wage to £9.50 an hour, and a tax cut for around 30 million workers through a rise in National Insurance contribution thresholds.

The government has also expanded support for the Household Support Fund – which helps people with food and energy bills – with an extra £421 million, on top of £79 million for devolved nations; the total value of this support now stands at £1.5 billion. Fuel duty was also cut by 5p per litre for 12 months in March 2022, and alcohol duty has been frozen for 2022/23.

Further information

• You can read more about the government’s cost of living support and what is available here.
• More than 8 million households on benefits will receive a payment of £650 this year, made in two instalments. This includes all households receiving the following benefits: Universal Credit, Income-based Jobseekers Allowance, Income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Working Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit and Pension Credit.
• The DWP will make the payment in two lump sums – the first from July 2022, the second in the Autumn. Payments from HMRC for those on tax credits only will follow shortly after each to avoid duplicate payments.
  • To be eligible for the first instalment, claimants needed to be in receipt of one of these benefits, or have begun a claim which is later successful, as of 25th May 2022.
  • This payment will be tax-free, will not count towards the benefit cap, and will not have any impact on existing benefit awards.
  • These lump sums will be delivered in two slightly different payments of £326 and £324. The distinct value relates to a specific qualifying period, so it is simpler to determine if a payee received the correct payments, reducing the fraud risk of people who claim not to have had one of the specific two payments, as DWP will be able to clearly track those who have.
• All pensioner households will receive an extra £300 to help them cover the rising cost of energy this winter while people with disabilities will receive an extra £150 to help with additional costs they face.
• The Chancellor also announced an extra £500 million of funding. In England £421 million will be used to extend the Household Support Fund, which is designed to help low-income households with food and energy bills. The Devolved Administrations will receive £79 million. This is in addition to the £1 billion already provided for this support.
• Dates for the additional payments to disabled people and pensioners will be confirmed soon.

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Thank you President and thank you to the Special Envoy and the Acting Director from OCHA for their very informative briefings.  It is also very powerful to hear from Ms Al-Salafi the views from Yemeni civil society.

I would first like to commend you Hans, for the UN’s leadership in extending the truce for a two-month period on 2 June. We welcome commendable flexibility by the parties, who have shown that they are committed to the opportunity the truce presents. We should build on this positive momentum.

Against this backdrop, I would like to reiterate the UK’s concern about the grave humanitarian impact of the continued road closures around Taiz. We call upon the Houthis to continue to demonstrate the flexibility they have shown so far to reach a compromise as soon as possible, and open the main roads.

In the meantime, the three-track process you have outlined Hans, has allowed for positive progress on the economic and military tracks. This includes dialogue on the payment of salaries and initiatives to support greater monetary policy coordination. The news that the Military Coordination Committee intends to establish a joint coordination room is also an extremely welcome step.

As you said Hans, the number of civilian casualties remains well below pre-truce averages. But we must strive for this figure to be zero. The women and men of Yemen deserve to live their lives without the fear of being killed or maimed. Indeed, landmines and unexploded ordnances were the highest cause of casualties last month. So I would like to acknowledge the crucial work of UNMHA and General Beary in accelerating de-mining efforts and I call on all parties to support their work.

As we heard from Ghada, the Yemeni people also continue to be threatened by acute food insecurity. The future generation – 2.2 million Yemini children – are at risk of physical and cognitive impairments due to acute malnutrition. At this urgent moment, the UK calls on all donors to ensure that funding is available and disbursed at pace.

Finally, the UK welcomes the announcement of further pledges toward the UN operation to address the threat posed by the FSO SAFER. We call on all those who have not yet pledged to step up to fill the remaining $20 million shortfall.

Thank you, Mr President.

As Judge Agius addresses us for the last time as President of the Mechanism, I congratulate him for his successful tenure and thank him warmly for his unstinting service and for his presentation today. He has led the Mechanism expertly, and has ensured very significant progress on its mandate, despite the global pandemic. And I welcome the Secretary-General’s proposal to appoint Judge Gatti Santana as President Agius’ successor.

I also thank Prosecutor Brammertz for his report and commend his recent work, and that of his office, including in confirming the deaths Protais Mpiranya and Phénéas Munyarugarama.

Mr President,

I would like to make three points about the Mechanism today.

First, on the importance of justice and of defending justice.

We are now seeing appalling barbarism and heinous acts committed by Russia in Ukraine on a scale not seen in Europe since the dark days in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s. The Mechanism stands as a reminder that the Security Council can and should act to ensure accountability for atrocity crimes. Our commitment to the Mechanism is unwavering and we will continue to support it in implementing its vision of being a small, temporary and effective organisation.

Sadly, there are some who smear the Mechanism and its predecessors, who glorify war criminals and who deny the genocides that happened in Rwanda and Bosnia and Herzegovina. We condemn these false narratives and denial, which punish victims, and prevent societies creating the prosperous future that they deserve. It is brazenly dishonest and dangerous to promote the idea that peace and reconciliation are undermined by the careful and rigorous work of the Mechanism and its independent judges.

Second, on the future of the Mechanism.

As the Mechanism looks forward to its post-judicial phase, there remains vital work to be done. Four fugitives remain at large, we await the outcomes of two appeals and we look forward to the timely trial of Félicien Kabuga, while accepting that the Mechanism must take into account his medical requirements.

But the work does not stop there. There are sentences to be enforced, witnesses to be protected and archives to be maintained.

We support this important work but we also expect the Mechanism to be as lean as it can be, including by developing detailed completion timelines across the Mechanism’s functions and by ending, limiting or transferring functions when the appropriate time comes.

Third, on the importance of cooperation with the Mechanism. The Mechanism’s successes are the result of significant and sustained international cooperation.

We must therefore again raise the Mechanism’s referral of Serbia to the Security Council, for the ongoing failure to arrest and transfer Petar Jojić and Vjerica Radeta. This continued non-compliance is serious, and follows years of requests, considerations and discussion. We urge Serbia to comply with the Mechanism’s order.

We commend the Mechanism’s work building capacity in the Western Balkans. But judicial cooperation within the region still remains inadequate. We call on the countries in the region to remove impediments to this.

Finally, we are concerned about the situation of the acquitted and released persons relocated to Niger, who are now under effective house arrest. We call upon Niger and the Mechanism urgently to find a lasting solution to this problem.

Thank you Mr President.