5 drivers a week in the whole UK? That is nothing.
Everyone knows that when the proverbial hits the fan, the existing drivers get shafted with stupid long hours, so some new entrants is a good thing, and they will replace the natural churn. Nothing to worry about and it is good that companies are taking some responsibility for the training.
My worry about the straight to class 1 guys is that they want to drive to maximum entitlement immediately, which is somewhat unrealistic considering the amount of rigid drivers required. Also, if the newbie forum is anything to go by, some seem unwilling to leave present employment without a guaranteed full-time class 1 position (without any experience). So in that case, some licences may never get used.