Driving Tests: Jarrow

(asked on 10th February 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will meet with the hon Member for Jarrow to discuss the reported planned permanent closure of the South Shields Driving Test Centre on the Bede Industrial Estate in Jarrow in April 2022.


Answered by
Trudy Harrison Portrait
Trudy Harrison
This question was answered on 28th February 2022

As the Minister responsible for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Baroness Vere is happy to meet with the hon Member for Jarrow to discuss the closure of South Shields driving test centre.

DVSA is not able to release building running and occupancy costs as this information is commercially sensitive.

It is usual for the DVSA to allocate two parking bays per the maximum number of examiners that are deployed to test at each location. Facilities needed at a test centre would include two sets of WCs, a waiting room and car parking. The accommodation would need a mains electricity supply with access to plug points and lights, a water supply and the building must be heated and cleaned daily. The required square footage (sqft) per driving examiner is around 550 sqft including workspace (97 sqft in isolation), circulation, amenity, waiting room (for four people), and WC but excluding parking. In order to carry our administrative duties, driving examiners require access to the internet.

The DVSA would need Health & Safety evidence if a building was to be used as a test centre that complied with the statutory requirements as listed below. Compliance must be monitored and maintained in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation, British Standard and Approved Code of Practices:

  • Fire risk assessment
  • Fire alarm maintenance
  • Firefighting equipment maintenance
  • Emergency lighting drop test
  • Insurance inspection lift (if present)
  • Boiler maintenance
  • Electrical installation certificate
  • Lightning protection maintenance
  • Asbestos management inspection
  • Water risk assessment
  • Portable appliance test
  • Radon monitoring

If the building is multi-occupancy, the DVSA would need evidence that all common parts of the building were monitored and maintained for statutory purposes in accordance with relevant legislation, regulation, British Standard and Approved Code of Practices.

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