Written questions by Robertson.

What steps she is taking to reduce the number of driving tests terminated on the grounds of public safety.

Driving examiners will terminate a test on public safety grounds only where it is necessary to manage risk to the learner, the examiner or other road users. Through its "Ready to Pass?" campaign, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) encourage learners to make sure that they will be ready and able to take the test they have booked and to change or cancel their appointment in good time if they are not.

If she will publish the DVSA's fees strategy.

As the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) fees are set out in legislation, any changes require a statutory process, including public consultation and subsequent legislative amendments. DVSA will publish details of any fee changes when consulting as part of the statutory process.

With reference to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, what the purpose was of the flight to Colombia; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of the visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

The Department for Transport has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of the flight to Argentina; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of the visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

Awaiting answer.

Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each flight to Azerbaijan; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

Awaiting answer.

Pursuant to the Answer of 22 April 2026 to Question 127229 on British Transport Police: Finance, whether the cost of the British Transport Police has been included in the published cost estimates for rail nationalisation; and what estimate she has made of the net additional cost to the taxpayer arising from the transfer of these funding responsibilities to publicly owned rail operators.

Awaiting answer.

Pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2026 to WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of the flight to Sierra Leone; which Ministers and senior officials approved the visit; how many officials travelled on that occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of the visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, what the purpose was of each flight to Slovakia; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 March 2026 to Question 120039 on Department for Transport: Aviation, what the purpose was of each flight to Tanzania; which Ministers and senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the cost was of each visit; and whether an assessment was made of whether those engagements could be (a) conducted remotely and (b) combined with other travel.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has supported the protection of UK nationals, UK economic interests and the resilience of global maritime trade by strengthening maritime security overseas, particularly in relation to terrorism and major security threats. DfT has acted to build and enhance international maritime security capacity by working collaboratively with partner states to improve compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, thereby reducing risk to the UK’s supply chains, energy routes and the UK‑registered and wider Red Ensign Group shipping fleet. In March 2025 two DfT officials (1 x Higher Executive Officer and 1 x Senior Executive Officer) visited Tanzania to deliver capacity development workshops, undertake port security surveys and participate in a Women in Maritime symposium. The visit was approved by a Deputy Director (Senior Civil Servant) in DfT’s Transport Security Division in line with departmental policy. The total cost of the visit was £8,584.42. As part of the planning process, consideration was given to whether the engagement could be conducted remotely or combined with other official travel. While some preparatory and follow up activity was undertaken virtually, aspects of the engagement required on site delivery and therefore could not be fully conducted remotely.

How many (a) driving examiners were employed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in each month since July 2024, (b) examiners were fully qualified and deployable in each of those months and (c) vacant driving examiner posts there were in each month for which data is available.

Answers to written questions 101471 of 6 January, 104860 of 22 January, 122532 of 25 March, and 124195 of 17 April 2026, respectively provide data on how many full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) employed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) were (a) in post and (b) delivering practical car driving tests for each month from July 2024 to March 2026.In March 2026, DVSA provided car practical driving tests from 318 driving test centres (DTC). The national average utilisation figure was 75.74% in that month. The attached spreadsheet (WPQ-00066952) provides the utilisation figures for all DTCs in the same period. The capacity of each DTC will vary depending on the services it provides and whether DEs work full or part-time.DVSA takes a view of the number of DEs it needs, based on demand at a national level, then split down to test centre. The agency is working on a detailed view of DE requirements, based on demand forecast modelling at test centre level, rather than nationally. DVSA expects to have that view in summer 2026.Utilisation of DE time measures how much of a DE’s available deployable working time is used to deliver driving tests, rather than individual effort or productivity.The intention of the forthcoming changes to practical test booking arrangements will make the system fairer for genuine learners by reducing exploitation and churn. Other measures DVSA is deploying (such as recruiting more examiners and carrying out more overtime) are designed to improve waiting times and utilisation.

How many driving test centres are in operation; what their maximum testing capacity is; what the utilisation rate is of each centre; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to booking arrangements on (i) waiting times and (ii) test slot utilisation.

Answers to written questions 101471 of 6 January, 104860 of 22 January, 122532 of 25 March, and 124195 of 17 April 2026, respectively provide data on how many full-time equivalent (FTE) driving examiners (DE) employed by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) were (a) in post and (b) delivering practical car driving tests for each month from July 2024 to March 2026.In March 2026, DVSA provided car practical driving tests from 318 driving test centres (DTC). The national average utilisation figure was 75.74% in that month. The attached spreadsheet (WPQ-00066952) provides the utilisation figures for all DTCs in the same period. The capacity of each DTC will vary depending on the services it provides and whether DEs work full or part-time.DVSA takes a view of the number of DEs it needs, based on demand at a national level, then split down to test centre. The agency is working on a detailed view of DE requirements, based on demand forecast modelling at test centre level, rather than nationally. DVSA expects to have that view in summer 2026.Utilisation of DE time measures how much of a DE’s available deployable working time is used to deliver driving tests, rather than individual effort or productivity.The intention of the forthcoming changes to practical test booking arrangements will make the system fairer for genuine learners by reducing exploitation and churn. Other measures DVSA is deploying (such as recruiting more examiners and carrying out more overtime) are designed to improve waiting times and utilisation.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122317 on Railways: North of England, what the timetable is for (a) completing and (b) publishing a long-term strategy for the York area.

The decision was taken at the Spending Review to pause the project until a long-term strategy for the route can be developed further. The scheme will remain under review to ensure it can be delivered in the most effective way as part of a holistic strategy of investment.

Pursuant to the Answer of 30 March 2026 to Question 122891 on Driving Licences: Medical Records , what the timetable is for the (a) completion of updates to DVLA's online service (b) start of the operation of the new casework system.

I refer the Hon Member to the answer of 125013.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 April 2026 to Question 124238 on Electric Vehicles: Charging Points, how many applicants have successfully received funding under the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Households with On-Street Parking; and what the total value is of funding awarded under that scheme.

As of 1 January 2026, the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant for Households with On-Street Parking grant has funded 39 sockets with a grant value of £13,531. The grant funds the installation of charge points at residential properties with on-street parking if they are also installing a cross-pavement solution. This grant is in addition to the £25 million Electric Vehicle Pavement Channels Grant for local authorities. The Government has consulted on measures to reduce planning permission requirements for cross-pavement solutions, further supporting households with on-street parking, and will be responding in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2026 to Question 122116, whether the Government has plans to establish a targeted national relief scheme specifically for disruption arising from roadworks.

The Government has no plans to establish a targeted national relief scheme specifically for disruption arising from roadworks. Local authorities are responsible for managing and mitigating the impacts of roadworks in their areas. The Government’s focus is on minimising disruption through stronger coordination, enforcement, and tools such as permit schemes and lane rental.

What the average processing time was for driving licence applications in each month since December 2025 up to and including the most recent month for which figures are available.

The table below shows the average number of working days taken to process driving licence applications made both online and not onlinefrom January 2026 to date for both group 1 (cars and motorcycle) and group 2 (lorry and bus) applications. Group 1Group 2DateOnline ApplicationsNon-Online ApplicationsOnline ApplicationsNon-Online ApplicationsJan-261.34.81.03.2Feb-261.26.21.04.5Mar-261.27.01.05.1Apr-26 (to 14/04)1.27.31.06.4

How many additional practical car driving tests were delivered by DVSA in each month since February 2026 compared with the same months in the previous year; of those additional tests, how many were delivered by (i) examiners working overtime, (ii) warrant card holders temporarily deployed from other DVSA roles and (iii) newly recruited examiners; and during which months warrant card holders from non-examiner roles were deployed to conduct practical driving tests.

www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/driving-test-and-theory-test-data-cars shows the number of car practical driving tests conducted up to March 2026. The below table shows the number of overtime tests since February 2026. Further information is not available. MonthNumber of Overtime testsFeb-2627,141Mar-2631,929

With reference to the flights listed to the Dominican Republic in WPQ 120039, what the purpose was of each such visit; which Ministers or senior officials approved each visit; how many officials travelled on each occasion and at what grade; what the total cost was of each visit; and what assessment was made of whether those engagements could be conducted remotely or combined with other travel.

On one occasion, a Grade 7 travelled to the Dominican Republic at a cost of £1,123.42, in line with departmental policy, to attend and present at a regional event on management of airspace over or nearby to conflict zones. The event covered North America, South America and Caribbean regions and was arranged by the UN aviation body, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), with key input from the UK, Canada and Spain. The event achieved its primary high-level goal of assisting delivery of an awareness session in each region globally, while also delivering a clear security benefit. Participation in this activity supports the strengthening of international airspace management standards, promotes the consistent application of agreed airspace and risk management best practice, and contributes directly to safer and more secure global aviation operations. UK expertise is significant in this area and is highly valued by international partners, strengthening international capability to mitigate risks, including those potentially faced by UK airlines or citizens. On a separate occasion, the Department for Transport’s International Aviation Negotiations Team attended the International Civil Aviation Negotiation Event (ICAN) hosted by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). ICAN 2025 was hosted in collaboration with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Dominican Republic and therefore held in the Dominican Republic. Officials met with foreign governments to update and further liberalise the UK’s portfolio of air service agreements - the treaties that underpin the legal basis for flights to and from the UK. ICAN provides a central forum to conduct bilateral air services negotiations and consultations with other ICAO member states over the course of a week. The event was attended by six officials, including a Grade 6, a Grade 7, three SEOs and an EO. Six officials allowed for multiple bilateral negotiations to happen concurrently, resulting in meetings with 30 countries. ICAN is a primarily in-person event, with delegations from over 80 ICAO member states in attendance. The total cost of the flights was £6,277.10 and was approved by Ian Elston, Deputy Director in the Department for Transport, in line with departmental policy. An assessment was made that the benefits to the UK economy through this work outweighed the cost of the sending a delegation to the event. There is an additional entry in the spreadsheet from WPQ 120039, relating to one Grade 6’s travel. This has been mis-recorded and is a duplication of previously stated travel.

A) what the failure-to-attend rate for practical car driving tests was in each month since January 2026 up to and including the most recent month for which figures are available.

The table below shows failure-to-attends (FTA) as a percentage of the total number of bookings for each month since January 2026.Month% FTAFebruary3March3 The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency monitors failure to attend rates and consider potential causes of those rates changing, together with potential interventions to reduce such rates, on an ongoing basis.

With reference to the Transport Development Fund, if she will publish (a) the projects and programmes funded and (b) the amount allocated to each.

The Transport Development Fund referred to in the 2015 Spending Review was a time-limited fund under the previous government.