Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will provide extra funding to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to help tackle backlogs in driving tests.

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

Measures in place to reduce waiting times include the recruitment of new driving examiners (DE), conducting tests outside regular hours, including at weekends and on public holidays, and buying back annual leave from DEs. DVSA also continues to deploy DEs from areas with lower waiting times into those where waiting times are longer.

DVSA is largely funded from the fees it charges for the delivery of its operational activities including driving tests.

DVSA keeps the fees it charges for all of its statutory services, including driving tests, under continuous review. Any proposals to change any fees would be subject to HM Treasury approval and public consultation.