Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Takata airbags no drive recall notice on (a) learner drivers and (b) practical driving test wait times.

As soon as the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency became aware of the issue, proactive communications were shared to all learner drivers who had a test booked and their driving instructors, clarifying that if a test had to be postponed as a result, the usual 10-day short notice conditions would be waived for them. The majority of vehicles were rectified before attending for test or an alternative vehicle was used. Due to the very small numbers who have been unable to go ahead with their test until a later date, there has been no impact on driving test wait times.