Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many foreign driving licences were exchanged for GB licences in each of the last five years, broken down by country of origin.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The table below shows the number of foreign driving licence holders who have exchanged their licence for a GB licence in each of the last five years, broken down by the country or territory in which the original licence was issued.
Year | |||||
Country of Exchange | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
Andorra | 4 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
Austria | 134 | 166 | 132 | 143 | 144 |
Australia | 4799 | 4308 | 4852 | 5053 | 5163 |
Barbados | 63 | 127 | 156 | 139 | 105 |
British Virgin Islands | 30 | 50 | 60 | 50 | 39 |
Bulgaria | 5594 | 4389 | 2918 | 2068 | 1650 |
Canada | 1946 | 2419 | 2525 | 2574 | 2556 |
Cayman Islands | 22 | 146 | 141 | 110 | 142 |
Cyprus | 467 | 468 | 491 | 465 | 404 |
Denmark | 194 | 243 | 256 | 285 | 243 |
Estonia | 156 | 135 | 82 | 98 | 86 |
Falkland Islands | 60 | 76 | 42 | 23 | 31 |
Faroe Islands | 2 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
Finland | 173 | 163 | 171 | 179 | 184 |
France | 1603 | 1656 | 1651 | 1616 | 1717 |
Germany | 1403 | 1595 | 1617 | 1781 | 1875 |
Gibraltar | 55 | 74 | 87 | 82 | 68 |
Greece | 3078 | 2107 | 1731 | 1553 | 1341 |
Guernsey | 190 | 275 | 266 | 277 | 313 |
Hong Kong | 12345 | 33873 | 18052 | 10699 | 6023 |
Iceland | 39 | 38 | 32 | 35 | 37 |
Isle of Man | 221 | 339 | 306 | 279 | 295 |
Italy | 9690 | 6508 | 5495 | 5835 | 5649 |
Japan | 1384 | 1454 | 1578 | 1601 | 1785 |
Jersey | 321 | 480 | 502 | 464 | 411 |
Liechtenstein | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
Lithuania | 2719 | 2703 | 2201 | 2033 | 1389 |
Luxembourg | 36 | 45 | 64 | 82 | 74 |
Malta | 184 | 336 | 186 | 205 | 124 |
Moldova | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1424 |
Monaco | 14 | 13 | 17 | 12 | 9 |
New Zealand | 1662 | 1389 | 1893 | 2634 | 2794 |
North Macedonia | 808 | 464 | 214 | 151 | 112 |
Norway | 402 | 540 | 434 | 325 | 261 |
Poland | 13330 | 10340 | 9233 | 8158 | 6856 |
Portugal | 3352 | 2660 | 2476 | 2030 | 1816 |
Republic of Ireland | 2028 | 2488 | 2195 | 2049 | 1942 |
Romania | 14242 | 15329 | 11396 | 8812 | 7532 |
Singapore | 421 | 691 | 763 | 663 | 591 |
Slovenia | 1100 | 941 | 976 | 683 | 593 |
Spain | 5915 | 4632 | 3299 | 2652 | 2403 |
South Africa | 8465 | 11481 | 13740 | 11378 | 4571 |
South Korea | 646 | 991 | 1064 | 1207 | 1129 |
Sweden | 1009 | 1406 | 1352 | 1117 | 974 |
Switzerland | 530 | 640 | 505 | 439 | 465 |
Taiwan | 4 | 1014 | 1035 | 820 | 693 |
Ukraine | 2899 | 5436 | 10199 | 7115 | 4930 |
United Arab Emirates | 4346 | 7623 | 9097 | 6371 | 3795 |
Zimbabwe | 1277 | 6390 | 15371 | 17004 | 7064 |
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government with which countries, if any, they (1) plan to have, or (2) are in discussions regarding, arrangements for reciprocal recognition and use of driving licences in both jurisdictions.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Holders of a valid European Union or European Economic Area (EU/EEA) licence can drive in this country using that licence until they reach the age of 70 or for three years, whichever is longer. After this time, they must exchange their EU/EEA licence for a GB one.
Drivers from countries with which there is an agreement for licence exchange can drive here for 12 months before exchanging their foreign licence for a GB one. Driving licence exchange agreements are currently in place with:
Andorra, Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe.
The licensing authority seeking an exchange agreement must provide the information needed to assess whether its driver licensing and testing standards are equivalent to those in GB.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has been approached by the following countries seeking a driving licence exchange agreement: Albania, Argentina, Bermuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Georgia, Israel, Kenya, Kuwait, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius, San Marino, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Israel and Tunisia. Work on these agreements is in various stages of development.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government why there is not reciprocal recognition of driving licences issued in Israel in the UK; and what steps they are taking, if any, to introduce reciprocal recognition of those licences.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Holders of a valid European Union or European Economic Area (EU/EEA) licence can drive in this country using that licence until they reach the age of 70 or for three years, whichever is longer. After this time, they must exchange their EU/EEA licence for a GB one.
Drivers from countries with which there is an agreement for licence exchange can drive here for 12 months before exchanging their foreign licence for a GB one. Driving licence exchange agreements are currently in place with:
Andorra, Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe.
The licensing authority seeking an exchange agreement must provide the information needed to assess whether its driver licensing and testing standards are equivalent to those in GB.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has been approached by the following countries seeking a driving licence exchange agreement: Albania, Argentina, Bermuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Georgia, Israel, Kenya, Kuwait, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius, San Marino, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Israel and Tunisia. Work on these agreements is in various stages of development.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government which countries have a reciprocal arrangement with the UK that recognises and permits a driving licence granted in one of the two countries to be used in both.
Answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill - Minister of State (Department for Transport)
Holders of a valid European Union or European Economic Area (EU/EEA) licence can drive in this country using that licence until they reach the age of 70 or for three years, whichever is longer. After this time, they must exchange their EU/EEA licence for a GB one.
Drivers from countries with which there is an agreement for licence exchange can drive here for 12 months before exchanging their foreign licence for a GB one. Driving licence exchange agreements are currently in place with:
Andorra, Australia, Barbados, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Republic of Korea, Republic of Moldova, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Taiwan, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates and Zimbabwe.
The licensing authority seeking an exchange agreement must provide the information needed to assess whether its driver licensing and testing standards are equivalent to those in GB.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has been approached by the following countries seeking a driving licence exchange agreement: Albania, Argentina, Bermuda, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Chile, Georgia, Israel, Kenya, Kuwait, Kosovo, Malaysia, Mauritius, San Marino, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Israel and Tunisia. Work on these agreements is in various stages of development.
Asked by: Lord Jackson of Peterborough (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Chapman of Darlington of 11 February 2026 (HL14050), whether Inter Mediate is undertaking any work in, or with, North Korea funded by the UK Government.
Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)
For over ten years, Inter Mediate and the UK Government have successfully partnered to advance peace efforts around the globe. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) supports a range of civil society and non-governmental organisations through its mediation and conflict resolution programme. Given the sensitive and discreet nature of these efforts, we do not disclose details of the projects supported. This ensures that neither the safety of partners, nor the integrity of ongoing peace efforts are compromised. This is in line with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the FCDO's approach to aid transparency, whereby information is excluded from publication where sharing could pose risks to international relations, compromise the security and safety of partners, prejudice national security, or reveal personal data that could infringe on privacy or breach confidentiality.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of conditions for freedom of religion or belief in North Korea; and what discussions she has had with her North Korean counterpart on that topic.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the Rt Hon Member to the answer he received on 5 March in response to Question 114767.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the creation of fake operatives posing as remote workers by North Korea.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Secretary of State has not had any discussions with the Home Secretary on this issue.
Asked by: Munira Wilson (Liberal Democrat - Twickenham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, which countries the UK has prisoner transfer agreements with.
Answered by Jake Richards - Assistant Whip
Enhancing our bilateral prisoner transfer capability is a government priority. We remain fully committed to transferring eligible foreign national offenders from the UK so they can serve the remainder of their sentences in their home country, and to repatriating British nationals imprisoned overseas.
Compulsory bilateral agreements
The UK has compulsory bilateral prisoner transfer agreements (PTAs) with Albania, Ghana, Libya, Nigeria and Rwanda. These agreements state that the consent of the prisoner is not required for transfer, although both States must agree to the transfer. The UK has also recently signed a compulsory bilateral PTA with Italy, which is currently undergoing parliamentary scrutiny and has not yet been ratified.
Voluntary bilateral agreements
The UK also has voluntary bilateral PTAs, where the consent of the prisoner to transfer is required in addition to the agreement of both States, with the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Brazil, Cuba, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Philippines, India, Iraq, Laos, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Peru, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Thailand and Vietnam.
Multilateral arrangements
The UK has multilateral prisoner transfer arrangements with all States that are party to the 1983 Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. This includes:
All 27 European Union Member States.
NonEU Council of Europe members: Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland, Türkiye and Ukraine.
Non‑Council of Europe States (as the Convention is also open to non‑Council of Europe members): Australia, the Bahamas, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ghana, Honduras, India, Israel, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Panama, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, the United States of America and Venezuela.
The UK also participates in the Scheme for the Transfer of Convicted Offenders within the Commonwealth, which provides prisoner transfer arrangements with: Kenya, Malawi, Maldives, Botswana, Tonga and Uganda.
Asked by: Iain Duncan Smith (Conservative - Chingford and Woodford Green)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 24853 on North Korea: Christianity, what assessment she has made of the steps taken by Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea in response to her Department's engagement on human rights issues, including on freedom of religion and belief.
Answered by Seema Malhotra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK remains deeply concerned by the ongoing reports of severe persecution in North Korea for those adopting or practicing religion. We welcomed North Korea's participation in the UN Human Rights Council Universal Periodic Review's fourth cycle (in November 2024) and continue to urge North Korea to take concrete actions to fulfil its commitment to implement the accepted recommendations. We will continue to raise human rights issues with North Korean officials bilaterally and in multilateral fora, including to allow independent civil society organisations immediate and unhindered access to the country.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of North Korean military personnel who have become casualties during the conflict in Ukraine.
Answered by Al Carns
It is highly likely that DPRK forces sustained more than 6,000 casualties in offensive combat operations against Ukrainian forces in the Russian oblast of Kursk, amounting to more than half of the approximately 11,000 DPRK troops initially deployed to the Kursk region. Russia has since publicly announced a further 6,000 deminers and reconstruction workers to be deployed to the Kursk region of Russia.