Asked by: Darren Jones (Labour - Bristol North West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will review public health guidance on driving instruction to permit practical lessons to continue for key workers during covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
To help stop the spread of coronavirus and save lives it is vital that approved driving instructors respect the national restrictions in England, reduce day-to-day contact with others, and not carry out driver training. Pupils can still have private practice using their own car providing they and the supervising driver are from the same household and it is travel for work, education or for other legally permitted exemptions.
In line with the Government’s national restrictions, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has suspended practical driver testing in England until Thursday 3 December 2020. Given the short period of time the new restrictions are in place, the DVSA will not be offering a critical worker priority service, but the agency will keep this under review.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the financial effect on driving instructors of the November 2020 covid-19 restrictions.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency does not employ driving instructors; it licences approved driving instructors (ADI) to provide paid tuition. It is therefore not possible to assess what financial effect the November 2020 covid-19 restrictions has, or will have, on them.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the November 2020 covid-19 restrictions on learner drivers.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has been working hard to resume driving tests in a COVID-secure way for staff and candidates. Its priority is to help stop the spread of coronavirus and save lives.
The DVSA will contact candidates whose tests are affected by covid-19 restrictions and tell them what they need to do.
The DVSA has made an additional 55,000 practical car driving tests available up to 18 April 2021 to accommodate new and re-scheduled tests. This is in addition to the 150,000 practical car tests already available in the booking system.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many (a) suspected and (b) confirmed cases of covid-19 have been reported among driving examiners in each month since June 2020.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The attached table sets out both the number of suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported among driving examiners and the driving test centres in which they have been reported in each month since June 2020.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in which driving test centres have (a) suspected and (b) confirmed cases of covid-19 been reported among driving examiners in each month since June 2020.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The attached table sets out both the number of suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported among driving examiners and the driving test centres in which they have been reported in each month since June 2020.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the effect of covid-19 social distancing restrictions on learner drivers.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Secretary of State for Transport has not had any recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the effect of COVID-19 social distancing restrictions on learner drivers.
But the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), the part of his department responsible for driver training and testing, understands the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on learner drivers. The agency’s priority throughout the pandemic has been the safety of its staff and customers. That remains its priority as it restarts its services. The agency has developed new COVID-safe risk assessments and standard operating procedures and shared them with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Public Health England (PHE). PHE has said they comply with general public health principles and existing guidance for the reduction of virus transmission risk. The DVSA has also sought similar clearances with the respective public health bodies in Scotland and Wales.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has held with the DVSA as to the ongoing safety of the continuation of three in a vehicle ADI standards checks during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has consulted with Public Health England (PHE) and the Health and Safety Executive to ensure it can conduct approved driving instructor (ADI) standards checks safely with three people in the car, during the COVID-19 pandemic. PHE has said the DVSA’s standard operating procedures comply with general public health principles and existing guidance for the reduction of transmission risk. The DVSA has also cleared its standard operating procedures and risk assessments with the trade unions.
The DVSA will continue to keep its guidance under review in line with Government guidance.
Asked by: Charles Walker (Conservative - Broxbourne)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak, whether trainee driving instructors who are practising for their test will continue to be permitted to instruct learner drivers on a no fee basis; when he plans that DVSA instructor ability tests will resume; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the safety of its staff and the wider public. That remains its priority as it restarts its services.
A trainee licence allows someone preparing for their instructional ability test to consolidate their training by teaching learner drivers. A trainee licence allows trainees to charge those pupils and cover their costs. It is not necessary to hold a trainee licence to prepare for the instructional ability test. A potential instructor could teach learners for practice so long as the pupil does not pay for the lesson or contribute to any costs, such as fuel or insurance.
As different approaches to easing lockdown are currently being adopted across England, Scotland and Wales, the DVSA is following published guidance in each of those countries as it restarts its services safely for its customers and its staff. It will continue to observe the guidance and scale up its services when it is permissible and lawful to do so.
Approved driving instructor part 3 tests (instructional ability) resumed in:
England on 22 July 2020
Wales on 17 August 2020
Scotland – date to be confirmed
Asked by: Feryal Clark (Labour - Enfield North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department will take to ensure that all approved driving instructors receive guidance on how they can safely restart driving lessons and tests as the covid-19 lockdown restrictions are eased.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the safety of its staff and the wider public. That remains its priority as it restarts its services.
Driving instructors are responsible for ensuring their services remain safe. Guidance on how they can carry out risk assessments can be found on the Health and Safety Executive’s website. The DVSA will release an updated version of its standard operating procedure for driving examiners, which driving instructors might wish to refer to when developing their own health and safety procedures. The DVSA will be sending this directly to driving instructors and it will be hosted on the National Associations Strategic Partnership website.
The DVSA would encourage all driving instructors to keep up to date with the driving instructors’ National Associations Strategic Partnership (NASP) website for further advice and information.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that driving instructors follow DVSA and Government guidelines in safely restarting driving lessons.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the safety of its staff and the wider public. That remains its priority as it restarts its services.
Driving instructors are responsible for ensuring their services remain safe. Guidance on how they can carry out risk assessments can be found on the Health and Safety Executive’s website. The DVSA will release an updated version of its standard operating procedure for driving examiners, which driving instructors might wish to refer to when developing their own health and safety procedures. The DVSA will be sending this directly to driving instructors and it will be hosted on the National Associations Strategic Partnership website.
The DVSA would encourage all driving instructors to keep up to date with the driving instructors’ National Associations Strategic Partnership (NASP) website for further advice and information: http://www.n-a-s-p.co.uk/