Committee publication · Correspondence · 29 January 2025 · HC 437
Letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Transport relating to assaults on DVSA staff, dated 23 January 2025
From: Transport Committee
Inquiry: Driving tests availability
Summary
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Lilian Greenwood MP provides follow-up data on assaults against DVSA staff following the Transport Committee's December 2024 oral evidence session. The letter reports 527 assaults between April 2023–March 2024 and 329 assaults from April–December 2024, with assault rates remaining below 0.03% of total driving tests. DVSA has implemented body cameras, conflict resolution training, call recording, and a booking review marker system to reduce incidents.
Key findings
- 329 assaults recorded against DVSA staff from 1 April to 31 December 2024; 527 assaults in the prior 12-month period (April 2023–March 2024)
- Of 329 assaults in 2024, 271 occurred during Driver and Riding tests, with 117 occurring during post-test de-briefs
- Assault rates remain rare relative to test volume: 0.02–0.03% of 437,000–1.9 million tests delivered annually across the five-year period
- DVSA has rolled out body cameras to all driving examiners and enforcement colleagues; call recording and abuse line established in customer contact centre
- DVSA targets 10% reduction in overall assaults during 2024-25 business plan; booking review marker system prevents immediate rebooking by candidates who have assaulted staff
Tone
FactualTopics
Key actors
Lilian Greenwood MP, Ruth Cadbury MP, Laurence Turner MP, Catherine Atkinson MP, Emma Ward, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)
Notable line
“The DVSA does not tolerate any acts of violence made against its employees carrying out their duties and takes any verbal or physical assault extremely seriously whether it relates to …”
Key Quotes
“The overall number of assaults on colleagues during the period 1 April 2023 to 3 March 2024 was 527. From 1 April 2024 to 31 December 2024, 329 assaults have been recorded.”
“The DVSA does not tolerate any acts of violence made against its employees carrying out their duties and takes any verbal or physical assault extremely seriously whether it relates to harassment, intimidation, discrimination, or bullying.”
“It is important to highlight however, that assault occurrences on driving tests are fortunately rare, compared to the number of overall driving tests that are conducted each year.”
“Within the Business Plan for 2024-25, the DVSA is aiming for a 10% reduction in the overall number of assaults during the business plan year.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗