Asked by: Douglas McAllister (Labour - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the level of waiting times for Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency Approved Driving Instructor tests; and what steps she is taking to ensure trainees can complete the qualification process within the validity period of their theory test certificates.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not hold data on the current waiting time for an approved driving instructor (ADI) part 2 or part 3 test at any of its test centres. ADI examiners are a national team and are not assigned to specific test centres.
There are currently 36 full time equivalent driving examiners employed by the DVSA who can conduct ADI part 2 and 3 tests. DVSA has ongoing training and recruitment with its next training course starting in May for six new driving examiners, with two further courses planned later in the year.