Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost of the additional testing allowance introduced in June 2025 has been to date; and what assessment she has made of its effect on the number of tests delivered per full-time equivalent examiner.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) current Additional Testing Allowance (ATA) scheme started in June 2025 to increase practical driving test capacity through voluntary additional testing outside contracted hours.

As of June 2026, payments made under the ATA scheme total approximately £11.8 million.

The ATA scheme has contributed to increased testing capacity. In June 2026, DVSA conducted 193,757 car practical driving tests, which was 35,328 more tests than in June 2025. Between June 2025 and June 2026, DVSA conducted 278,124 more car practical driving tests than during the same period from June 2024 to June 2025. DVSA has achieved this additional testing capacity through increased driving examiner (DE) capacity (165 more full-time equivalent DEs than in June 2025), examiner overtime and other operational measures.