Is HGV crisis short-term pain for long-term economic gain?

■ In light of the shortage of fuel at the pumps and worries about food supply chains caused by a lack of HGV drivers (Metro, Mon), perhaps the DVLA should reconsider its refusal to recognise international HGV driving licences.

My husband, who can drive up to a 32-tonne abnormal-loaded lorry, was denied a UK lorry licence and told he had to pay for his own training course, which we couldn’t afford at the time.

Maybe the government should investigate how many residents have these international licences and offer them assistance to reduce the training costs, as it would certainly get more experienced lorry drivers on the roads. You have willing drivers who maybe can’t afford this extra training.

Bella, London

■ How about the DVLA working to clear the 54,000 HGV licence application backlog? I’ve been waiting since August 11 for mine to be returned. Nothing in the media about this!

IB, via email

■ Regarding the debate about cheap foreign labour, skills shortages, job vacancies and supply chain issues, as Andrew Neil said on Question Time a few weeks back now is the time of the employee, not the shareholders/ business owners.

With the employment marketplace buoyed by thousands of positions to be filled, choice of working from home or in the office becoming one of the many factors in the equation, wages being reviewed/improved etc, critics of the current situation either have no patience or can’t see the larger picture. British jobs for British people.

Paul, West Midlands

■ I’m a developer and we in the property and construction sector are struggling to find skilled and semi-skilled tradesmen, and even labourers. We need easier access to people as well as more places where people can train in different trades.

Baffled, via text

■ Labour party members have voted to increase the minimum wage to £15 but if you put the minimum wage up, wages go up for skilled workers too, which would raise inflation so everything would cost more – defeating the object of the exercise.

Jacqueline Scollan, Brentford

■ Chancellor Rishi Sunak informs us that the UK is going to crack down on tax avoidance. The last five governments have all stated the same thing yet the public are still waiting. As many Conservative and Labour donors may themselves be tax avoiders, is this another red herring put out by government in an attempt to appease us all?

Nick Smith, London