Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people waiting for a practical driving test in the UK.

In March 2020, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) suspended most of its services in line with Government guidance, whilst maintaining access for critical workers to support the national emergency response.

The DVSA is restoring its testing services with new procedures in place to keep people safe and help stop the spread of coronavirus.

As the DVSA has been unable to provide its normal level of service for the past six months, demand for practical driving tests are higher than usual.

As of 6 October 2020, 344,806 candidates in the UK have a practical car test booked and are waiting to sit the test.