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Freight: Insolvency

Asked by Mr Gregory CampbellDemocratic Unionist PartyDepartment for TransportTabled Answered 19 January 2026UIN 105156

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the answer of 1 December 2025 to WPQ 94153, what steps she is taking to help reduce insolvencies in Road Freight Transport companies.

Answered by Keir Mather

Department for Transport officials regularly meet representatives of the road haulage industry, including through the Freight Council and the Road Freight Industry Engagement Group. These discussions are wide ranging and include the market conditions for road freight and cost pressures.

Government measures that support the road freight sector include the extension of the 5 pence cut in fuel duty until the end of August 2026 and for Great Britain, discounts of up to £120,000 on new electric trucks are available thanks to an additional £18m to increase the Plug-in Truck Grant until the end of March 2026. Existing rates apply to Northern Ireland.

The Small Business Plan outlines how the Government will support small and medium sized businesses to grow and thrive across the UK through reforms to tackle late payments; finance to support start-ups and scale ups; removing unnecessary red tape and delivering growth boosting support for Digital and AI Adoption. The new Business Growth Service makes it easier for SMEs to access the right support for any stage of their growth journey.

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