Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving tests took place in each of the last three years, broken down by category; what the current charge is to the user for each of those categories of test; and what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the taxpayer (i) of each test in each category and (ii) annually in total of delivering those tests.

The attached Table 1 shows the number of driving tests conducted, by test category:

The attached Table 2 shows the standard test fees for each of the following practical test types, and the cost to deliver those tests in the financial year 2021-22:

The fees charged for practical driving tests currently substantially cover the full cost of delivering those tests; however, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency does incur a net cost from these activities. At Agency level, however, this net cost is currently offset by net income on other activities. The DVSA is looking at ways to rebalance its fees with costs.