To ask the Minister for the Economy to outline action being taken by his Department to address the shortage of HGV Drivers.

My Department has a wide range of provision available to meet the current and future skills needs of employers, including programmes such as apprenticeships, traineeships, Skills Focus and Assured Skills. Financial support is also available through Invest NI to meet companies’ skills requirements where they fulfil the necessary criteria.

However, skills in demand that require mandatory training are not delivered by my Department but the Department for Communities, (DfC) can offer tailored support to employers who have a specific recruitment need. A recruitment platform, Jobcentre Online www.jobcentreonline.com, is available to promote vacancies, free of charge, with further promotion through the Jobs and Benefits office (JBO) network, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Where there is a specific recruitment need a tailored recruitment event can be set up with support in sifting applications and assistance with the interviewing process.

DfC also provides the Adviser Discretion Fund (ADF), a scheme that may provide up to £1500 (including VAT) to eligible persons (within a 12-month period), for the purchase of goods or services in order to remove a barrier to employment.

ADF may also be used to support those who are required to complete a short training course in order to progress into work. DfC Work Coaches determine when it is appropriate to offer such assistance to a customer. Therefore, in principle, many of the licensing, technical and medical elements required to attain an HGV qualification could be supported through ADF, subject to the eligibility criteria being met.