Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the reintroduction of foreign language voiceovers and interpreters for candidates taking the UK car and motorcycle theory tests.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency withdrew the facility for driving test candidates to use foreign language voiceovers during theory tests and interpreters during theory and practical tests on 7 April 2014 following a full public consultation.

Some of the reasons for this change were included to address concerns about road safety, specifically the ability of non-English or non-Welsh speakers to understand road signs and other information provided to drivers in the course of their journeys; and to reduce fraud, addressing the problem of an interpreter attending for test with a learner driver and communicating advice beyond a strict translation of the theory test questions or the instructions given by the examiner.

The department has no plans to assess the reintroduction of translation services for non-English speaking candidates taking car and motorcycle theory driving tests.