Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an (a) assessment of the effectiveness of her policies to reduce waiting times for driving tests and (b) estimate of the costs to (i) people in Chichester constituency and (ii) the economy of those waiting times.

The average waiting time in weeks, in December 2025, for a car practical driving test at Chichester driving test centre was 24 weeks.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) fully acknowledges car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this continues to have on learner drivers across the country, particularly where a driving licence is vital for accessing jobs and training. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests that will break down barriers to opportunity as part of the government’s Plan for Change, supporting economic growth.

On the 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times.

In the coming months, DVSA will:

• Change the booking service to allow only learner car drivers to book and manage their tests
• Introduce a limit on the number of times a learner car driver can move or swap a test to twice and also limit the area they can move a test to once booked.
• Make use of MOD driving examiners for up to 12 months to help tackle driving test waiting times.