Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve the efficiency of the DVLA when processing driving licence applications for individuals (a) without and (b) with a medical condition.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 10 January 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) had 61,766 non-medical and 134,292 medical driving licence applications currently being processed. This is within the normal volume of applications being processed by the DVLA at any one time and applications are being processed within normal turnaround times.
It is important to note that the length of time taken to deal with a driving licence application where medical enquiries must be carried out very often depends on whether further information is required from a driver or their medical practitioners. The DVLA is often wholly reliant on receiving information from third parties, including doctors, before it can make a licensing decision. Currently, around half of driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated are awaiting further information from the applicant’s doctor or the applicant themselves before the DVLA can take any further action.
The DVLA has made changes to the way licensing decisions have been made for drivers with certain medical conditions. The DVLA has also changed the law to allow medical professionals other than doctors to provide the information required for the DVLA to be able to progress these applications.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving licence applications are outstanding as of 10 January 2023.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
On 10 January 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) had 61,766 non-medical and 134,292 medical driving licence applications currently being processed. This is within the normal volume of applications being processed by the DVLA at any one time and applications are being processed within normal turnaround times.
It is important to note that the length of time taken to deal with a driving licence application where medical enquiries must be carried out very often depends on whether further information is required from a driver or their medical practitioners. The DVLA is often wholly reliant on receiving information from third parties, including doctors, before it can make a licensing decision. Currently, around half of driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated are awaiting further information from the applicant’s doctor or the applicant themselves before the DVLA can take any further action.
The DVLA has made changes to the way licensing decisions have been made for drivers with certain medical conditions. The DVLA has also changed the law to allow medical professionals other than doctors to provide the information required for the DVLA to be able to progress these applications.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving test examiners work at Llanelli Driving Test Centre as on 28 June 2022.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
As of 28 June 2022, there are 606 car practical driving tests booked at Llanelli driving test centre (DTC).
As of 27 June 2022, the average weekly waiting time for a car practical driving test at Llanelli DTC is 3 weeks. The national average weekly waiting time for car tests is 15.1 weeks.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is committed to increasing the availability of practical driving tests at Llanelli DTC by recruiting more driving examiners (DE). The latest recruitment campaign closed on 20 June and applications are being reviewed. Currently, three DEs conduct driving tests at Llanelli DTC.
To be safe and competent, learner drivers need a broad range of driving experience in different areas and on different roads. A full driving licence allows a driver to use any roads, not just those they are familiar with. Candidates can choose to also take their test at the following nearby DTCs, both of which have waiting times below the national average and offer out of hours testing:
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of driving test examiners in Llanelli.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
As of 28 June 2022, there are 606 car practical driving tests booked at Llanelli driving test centre (DTC).
As of 27 June 2022, the average weekly waiting time for a car practical driving test at Llanelli DTC is 3 weeks. The national average weekly waiting time for car tests is 15.1 weeks.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is committed to increasing the availability of practical driving tests at Llanelli DTC by recruiting more driving examiners (DE). The latest recruitment campaign closed on 20 June and applications are being reviewed. Currently, three DEs conduct driving tests at Llanelli DTC.
To be safe and competent, learner drivers need a broad range of driving experience in different areas and on different roads. A full driving licence allows a driver to use any roads, not just those they are familiar with. Candidates can choose to also take their test at the following nearby DTCs, both of which have waiting times below the national average and offer out of hours testing:
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what information his Department holds on the average waiting time for a test at Llanelli Driving Test Centre.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
As of 28 June 2022, there are 606 car practical driving tests booked at Llanelli driving test centre (DTC).
As of 27 June 2022, the average weekly waiting time for a car practical driving test at Llanelli DTC is 3 weeks. The national average weekly waiting time for car tests is 15.1 weeks.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is committed to increasing the availability of practical driving tests at Llanelli DTC by recruiting more driving examiners (DE). The latest recruitment campaign closed on 20 June and applications are being reviewed. Currently, three DEs conduct driving tests at Llanelli DTC.
To be safe and competent, learner drivers need a broad range of driving experience in different areas and on different roads. A full driving licence allows a driver to use any roads, not just those they are familiar with. Candidates can choose to also take their test at the following nearby DTCs, both of which have waiting times below the national average and offer out of hours testing:
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people in Llanelli awaiting a practical driving test at Llanelli Driving Test Centre in Llanerch.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
As of 28 June 2022, there are 606 car practical driving tests booked at Llanelli driving test centre (DTC).
As of 27 June 2022, the average weekly waiting time for a car practical driving test at Llanelli DTC is 3 weeks. The national average weekly waiting time for car tests is 15.1 weeks.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is committed to increasing the availability of practical driving tests at Llanelli DTC by recruiting more driving examiners (DE). The latest recruitment campaign closed on 20 June and applications are being reviewed. Currently, three DEs conduct driving tests at Llanelli DTC.
To be safe and competent, learner drivers need a broad range of driving experience in different areas and on different roads. A full driving licence allows a driver to use any roads, not just those they are familiar with. Candidates can choose to also take their test at the following nearby DTCs, both of which have waiting times below the national average and offer out of hours testing:
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to publicise the recent changes to the Highway Code.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The changes to The Highway Code to help improve road safety are being communicated in two phases:
Both phases of the campaign include a significant media spend, utilising channels such as radio, digital audio, video on demand and social media advertising.
Communications activity also includes media engagement with supporting stakeholder comment and an extranet to share both static and video assets with stakeholders to amplify our messages.
More information on the campaign can be found at: www.think.gov.uk/campaign/highway-code-changes/
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has plans to expand testing capacity at Llanelli Driving Test Centre to tackle the backlog of tests since March 2020.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recognises there is a high demand for learners who are wanting to take their practical driving test following the suspension of routine driver training and testing during the pandemic.
The DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as possible and has a number of measures in place to do this.
These include:
As of 31 March 2022, driving test waiting times at Llanelli is 3 weeks.
The DVSA has a live recruitment campaign covering Llanelli, and has recently completed a campaign to recruit Welsh speaking driving examiners. The DVSA is also launching a new national campaign to recruit an extra 161 examiners across Great Britain to help meet the increasing demand for driving tests. This is in addition to its previous campaign to recruit more than 300 additional examiners.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact of covid-19 restrictions on learner drivers since March 2020.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recognises there is a high demand for learners who are wanting to take their practical driving test following the suspension of routine driver training and testing during the pandemic.
The DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as possible and has a number of measures in place to do this.
These include:
As of 31 March 2022, driving test waiting times at Llanelli is 3 weeks.
The DVSA has a live recruitment campaign covering Llanelli, and has recently completed a campaign to recruit Welsh speaking driving examiners. The DVSA is also launching a new national campaign to recruit an extra 161 examiners across Great Britain to help meet the increasing demand for driving tests. This is in addition to its previous campaign to recruit more than 300 additional examiners.
Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse was of the Senior Railcard in the last year for which figures are available.
Answered by Chris Heaton-Harris - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
As set out in franchise agreements with train operators, the Department for Transport will receive a premium from them or pay out a subsidy based on a range of measures that the franchisee is asked to deliver, including the Senior and 16-25 railcards. It is not possible to disentangle all of the individual elements that contribute to a TOC’s subsidy or premium. As such the department does not undertake ongoing financial assessments of these individual products.