Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to delays in driving test appointments, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the eligiblity of a successful driving theory test from two years to three years.

During March 2023, the average waiting time for a car practical driving test in the Oxfordshire area was 14.3 weeks; the national average waiting time was 15.5 weeks.

People can book driving tests up to 6 months before they take their test.

It is important road safety knowledge and hazard perception skills are up to date at the critical point a person drives unsupervised for the first time.

The maximum duration of two years between passing the theory test and a subsequent practical test is in place to ensure a candidate’s road safety knowledge and ability to identify developing hazards is current. This validity period is set in legislation and the Government has no current plans to lay further legislation to extend it.