Committee publication · Correspondence · 8 January 2025 · HC 437
Letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Transport relating to driving tests availability, dated 18 December 2024
From: Transport Committee
Inquiry: Driving tests availability
Summary
Letter from Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Lilian Greenwood MP to Transport Committee Chair Ruth Cadbury announcing DVSA's action plan to reduce car practical driving test waiting times, which stand at 13 weeks in Wales, over 15 weeks in Scotland, and nearly 21 weeks in England. The plan includes recruiting 450 examiners, preventing test appointment resale, tightening rules on failed candidates, and extending advance booking windows.
Key findings
- Current waiting times are stark: 13 weeks in Wales, over 15 weeks in Scotland, nearly 21 weeks in England
- DVSA carried out 1.95 million car driving tests between April 2023 and March 2024 and has over 500,000 tests booked in the next 24 weeks
- DVSA will recruit and train 450 new driving examiners to increase test capacity
- Government will review booking rules to prevent resale of test appointments and strengthen terms for driver training businesses managing bookings
- Measures include extending advance booking from 24 weeks, increasing cancellation notice period from 3 to 10 working days, and consulting on penalties for repeated failures or no-shows
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Lilian Greenwood MP, Ruth Cadbury MP, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Department for Transport
Notable line
“Learner drivers should be able to take a test when they are ready.”
Key Quotes
“Passing the car driving test is a rite of passage. A driving licence is a passport to employment, opportunities and better living standards for hundreds of thousands of young people each year.”
“Learner drivers should be able to take a test when they are ready. Yet thousands have had to wait many months, with some being exploited by businesses taking advantage of long waiting times or having to travel hundreds of miles in the process.”
“Between April 2023 and March 2024, DVSA carried out 1.95 million car driving tests. And it has over half a million driving tests booked in the next 24 weeks.”
“But I have to be clear: there is no quick fix to the current situation. Just like learning to drive, fixing this problem is going to take patience, a structured approach and determination.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗