Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to reduce waiting times for Approved Driving Instructor Part 2 and Part 3 practical assessments; what the average waiting time is for these tests in all regions; how many examiners are (a) currently employed and (b) being recruited and trained to increase capacity; what her planned timeline is to reduce Part 2 and Part 3 waiting times to levels that help ensure trainee instructors can complete their qualifications within the two-year window; and what steps she is taking to (i) ensure increased access to assessment slots and (ii) prevent (A) the misuse of and (B) fraudulent bookings.
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 part 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.
ADI examiner tests are not booked in the same process as driving tests have been previously. DVSA recommends potential driving instructors use the ‘book-to-hold’ service. By doing this they can advise DVSA when and where they would like to sit tests within their 2-year qualification period. This enables DVSA to deploy examiner resource accordingly. Therefore, test allocation is largely controlled within DVSA. On occasion, short notice cancellations would be open for candidates to book directly. Due to this, DVSA does not have high volumes of test swapping, misuse or fraudulent bookings.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of driver training and testing in preparing drivers to undertake safe overtaking of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) on (a) rural roads and (b) motorways; what information her Department holds on the involvement of unsafe overtaking manoeuvres in collisions involving HGVs; and whether she plans to change the DVSA (i) theory test, (ii) hazard perception test, and (iii) practical driving test to improve assessment of safe overtaking and lane discipline on multi-lane carriageways.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department publishes several data sets on collisions that can be viewed on GOV.UK. The RAS0503: Vehicle type and manoeuvre report includes figures on the number of vehicles that were overtaking another vehicle at the time of their collision. However, this does not specify what type of vehicle they were overtaking, or if the collision was a result of an unsafe overtaking manoeuvre.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) requires approved driving instructors (ADI) and approved training bodies (ATB) to train learner driver and riders to the National Standards. This includes teaching learners to recognise and manage the additional risks when overtaking HGVs, including on rural roads and motorways. DVSA has no current plans to change how learners are trained or how the agency examines learner drivers and riders on their practical tests.
Both the multiple-choice and hazard perception elements already include questions on safely following, and overtaking, HGVs in a range of situations. DVSA keeps the driving and riding theory and practical test under continuous review.
The agency also encourages ADIs to include motorway driving as part of their instruction to learner drivers.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions she has had with the Home Office on enforcement of offences relating to pavement cycling and powered scooter use.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with the Home Office on these matters.
Officials are however in regular contact with the Home Office concerning e-scooters.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance the Department has issued to local authorities and police forces on the enforcement of offences relating to cycling on pavements and riding powered scooters in pedestrianised areas.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
No such guidance has been issued by the Department. The enforcement of criminal offences is entirely a matter for the police.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what funding is available to support (a) local authorities and (b) police forces with initial installation costs for fixed speed-enforcement cameras.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Part of the money received from drivers attending courses under the National Driver Offending Retraining Scheme (NDORS) goes to the local Road Safety Partnership, where one exists, which includes the local authority, the police and other partners. This is ringfenced to be used for road safety purposes, including the installation and maintenance of safety cameras. Local authorities and the police are also able to use other unringfenced grants to fund additional road safety activity in their area. In areas with no road safety partnership, the funding from NDORS courses goes to the police.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of driver (a) training and (b) testing requirements for overtaking large vehicles; and if she will take steps to improve learner driver education to help prevent unsafe overtaking.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) encourages candidates preparing for their theory and practical test to understand and revise the source materials for the test, which includes The Highway Code and The Official DVSA Guide to Driving: The Essential Skills. DVSA also recommends that learner drivers practice overtaking other vehicles where road and traffic conditions provide the opportunity to do so safely when learning to drive.
Rules 162 to 169 of the Highway code cover overtaking in detail, with rule 164 specifically covering overtaking large vehicles.
The Theory test (including both the multiple choice and hazard perception parts of the theory test) and the practical driving test are designed to complement each other, ensuring new drivers have both the theoretical understanding and the practical skills needed to drive safely and responsibly.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she will undertake a review of the timeline to bring the Automated Vehicles Act 2024 into force to allow an earlier rollout of proven supervised systems (a) to support older drivers seeking safe mobility and (b) in general.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Automated Vehicles (AV) Act 2024 implementation timeline is designed to prioritise the development and implementation of a regulatory framework that maximises innovation, public safety, and public confidence by the second half of 2027. By incorporating opportunity for extensive consultation, the timeline will help facilitate the realisation of AV benefits to specific demographics and more broadly.
In June 2025, the Government announced an acceleration of the Automated Passenger Services (APS) permitting scheme to spring 2026, subject to consultation. In deciding whether to grant a permit, the Secretary of State must have regard to whether, and to what extent, the granting of the permit is likely to lead to an improvement in the understanding of how automated passenger services should best be designed for, and provided to, older or disabled passengers. A consultation on the scheme is open until 28th September.
Alongside developing our domestic regulations, we are playing a leading role in work to harmonise international rules on self-driving; this work is anticipated to complete in early 2027.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to reduce the backlog for medical driving licence assessments.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) aims to process all applications as quickly as possible. Driving licence applications where a medical condition(s) must be investigated before a licence can be issued can take longer as the DVLA is often reliant on information from third parties, including medical professionals, before a licence can be issued.
The quickest way to transact with the DVLA is by using its extensive suite of online services. Drivers with diabetes, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, visual impairments, sleep conditions or heart conditions can renew their driving licence online.
The DVLA continues to make improvements to the services provided to drivers with medical conditions and is currently rolling out a new casework system. This is expected to deliver significant improvements which will enhance the handling of medical cases, support growing customer demand and help to reduce processing times.
It is important to note that most applicants renewing an existing licence will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing the driver can meet specific criteria. More information can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf1886-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what service standards the DVLA is working to; and what steps her Department is taking to hold them accountable for meeting them.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
My department keeps governance and assurance procedures under review.
The department measures the performance of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency against their Key Performance Indicators as set out in their Business Plan, together with regular meetings at Ministerial and official level.
Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with HM Treasury on the proposed consultation into the impact of the July 2023 High Court ruling in Uber Britannia Ltd v Sefton MBC.
Answered by Guy Opperman
The Department for Transport and HM Treasury have worked closely on the consultation, which was launched on 18 April, on the impacts that recent High Court rulings on private hire vehicle legislation may have on the sector and its passengers.