Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many car practical driving test appointments were available in (a) October, (b) November and (c) December 2025 in (i) Scotland and (ii) Glasgow.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.
As of 6 October in Scotland, there were 7,565 car practical driving tests booked and 26 available in October 25, 9,139 booked and 87 available in November 25,and 7,703 booked and 103 available in December 25.
As of 6 October in Glasgow, there were 1,440 car practical driving tests booked and 1 available in October 25, 1,567 booked and 7 available in November 25, and 1,401 booked and 1 available in December 25.
The average waiting time for Scotland in September 25 was 21 weeks.
DVSA encourages learner drivers to only use the official GOV.UK website to book and manage their driving test. The DVSA has published advice aimed at learner drivers warning them of the risks of using third party services/apps to book a practical driving test. Further information can be found on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/news/learner-drivers-warned-about-the-risks-of-driving-test-cancellation-finders.
Asked by: Patricia Ferguson (Labour - Glasgow West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of adjusting in line with inflation the £30,000 threshold over which advice must be sought before a pension is transferred.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government is committed to ensuring that pension savers receive clear and essential information, and that pension transfers are conducted on an informed basis.
To support this principle, individuals with pensions that include a guarantee remain required to take independent financial advice before converting their pension pot, where the value exceeds £30,000. This requirement is intended to ensure savers are made aware of valuable guarantees that could provide a secure income in retirement, before they choose to relinquish those guarantees through a transfer.
The £30,000 threshold aligns to the trivial commutation rules and raising this figure could increase the risk of transfers being made without sufficient understanding.
A review of the regulations conducted in 2023 identified potential concerns regarding the cost and availability of independent financial advice and the Government is keen to explore the extent of these issues. As such, the Department for Work and Pensions is working closely with the Financial Conduct Authority, the pensions industry, and His Majesty’s Treasury . We intend to consult on the outcome of this work in the coming months.