Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help increase availability of practical driving tests in Earley and Woodley.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while reducing car practical driving test waiting times.

Measures in place to reduce waiting times for customers, include buying back annual leave from driving examiners (DE), conducting tests outside regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays and recruiting more DEs.

In its most recent recruitment campaign, DVSA had two successful candidates in Slough and three in Reading, and it has made offers to these prospective DEs. DVSA launched its latest recruitment campaign in September 2024 and is working to recruit three DEs in Farnborough, four in Slough and five into Reading DTC, which serves the areas of Earley and Woodley.