Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the availability of practical driving tests at test centres serving Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) publish detailed data on car driving test waiting times so learners can get better understanding of the booking system. More information and waiting time data, including for driving test centres serving Hamilton and Clyde Valley constituency is available on GOV.UK
In April 2025, the Government announced a package of measures to reduce practical car test waiting times and deliver around 10,000 additional tests per month. Between April 2025 and March 2026, DVSA conducted a record 1.99 million practical car tests, 159,000 (8.6%) more than the previous year.
DVSA has made changes to make the booking system fairer, as well as continuing to run national recruitment campaigns for driving examiners (DE) across the country. From recruitment, a full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.
Asked by: Imogen Walker (Labour - Hamilton and Clyde Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to tackle the dangerous driving of illegally modified e-bikes on public roads.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
E-bikes that do not comply with the requirements of the Electrically Assisted Pedal Cycle Regulations 1983 are motor vehicles and must therefore be registered, taxed and insured to be used on public roads. The rider must also wear a safety helmet and hold a driving licence.
The police can seize e-bikes not properly registered as motor vehicles under Section 165A of the Road Traffic Act 1988. In addition, in the Crime and Policing Act 2026 the Government has strengthened the powers for the police to seize vehicles used anti-socially by removing the need to provide a warning. These powers apply to e-bikes that have been registered as motor vehicles.