Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill on 15 December (HL12602), whether they will now state when the amount in question was last uprated in line with inflation.

The agreed industry scale rate for lorry drivers’ overnight subsistence is not uprated in line with inflation. Normally the relevant industry body, in this case the Road Haulage Association, would approach His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to discuss changing the industry rate. If individual haulage operators think the industry rate is inadequate, they would need to provide evidence to HMRC that drivers are incurring expenses that exceed the current benchmark rate to have a bespoke rate agreed.

Employers can choose to reimburse drivers for the actual subsistence costs incurred when staying away from home, rather than pay the set benchmark scale rate.