Asked by: Nia Griffith (Labour - Llanelli)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact of covid-19 restrictions on learner drivers since March 2020.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recognises there is a high demand for learners who are wanting to take their practical driving test following the suspension of routine driver training and testing during the pandemic.
The DVSA is working hard to provide as many practical driving test appointments as possible and has a number of measures in place to do this.
These include:
As of 31 March 2022, driving test waiting times at Llanelli is 3 weeks.
The DVSA has a live recruitment campaign covering Llanelli, and has recently completed a campaign to recruit Welsh speaking driving examiners. The DVSA is also launching a new national campaign to recruit an extra 161 examiners across Great Britain to help meet the increasing demand for driving tests. This is in addition to its previous campaign to recruit more than 300 additional examiners.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending existing Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) licences in the context of the holders of those licences having only been able to practise for eight out of the last 15 months as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has no statutory power to issue partial refunds nor extend registration beyond four years.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the DVLA plans to allow driving instructors to resume their lessons as covid-19 restrictions are eased.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
In line with the Prime Minister’s road map announcement driving lessons will resume in England on 12 April 2021 providing the data shows it is safe to move on to this next step.
The Welsh Government has agreed to restart driving lessons on 12 April 2021 if the public heath position remains favourable in Wales.
The Scottish Government has announced its strategic framework that aims to move fully back to a levels system from the last week in April. If data allows, driving lessons can restart in Scotland from 26 April 2021.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of allowing driving instructors to apply for an enhanced criminal record check and a standard check test without incurring costs, if they have not renewed their approved driving instructor registration in time due to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The 4-year duration of the approved driving instructor (ADI) registration is set out in the Road Traffic Act. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has no powers to extend this period, nor to waive, reduce or refund any part of the £300 fee. There are no plans to make changes to primary legislation.
The Road Traffic Act provides that those approved driving instructors (ADI) who allow their registration to lapse have up to a year to apply to re-join the register without having to requalify. ADIs do not pay directly for their standards checks nor their Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, other than the £6 identification verification fee, which is payable to the Post Office.
The £300 ADI registration fee covers all the costs of administration of the register, including the arrangement and conduct of standards checks and the DBS cost. The requirement for the fee is specified in the Act. There are no powers to waive the fee and there are no plans to make changes to primary legislation.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the £300 cost for the Approved Driving Instructor teaching licence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of awarding driving instructors with backdated refunds or discounts for the periods during the covid-19 outbreak in which they were not allowed to practise.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The 4-year duration of the approved driving instructor (ADI) registration is set out in the Road Traffic Act. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has no powers to extend this period, nor to waive, reduce or refund any part of the £300 fee. There are no plans to make changes to primary legislation.
The Road Traffic Act provides that those approved driving instructors (ADI) who allow their registration to lapse have up to a year to apply to re-join the register without having to requalify. ADIs do not pay directly for their standards checks nor their Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, other than the £6 identification verification fee, which is payable to the Post Office.
The £300 ADI registration fee covers all the costs of administration of the register, including the arrangement and conduct of standards checks and the DBS cost. The requirement for the fee is specified in the Act. There are no powers to waive the fee and there are no plans to make changes to primary legislation.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool, Riverside)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make it his policy to extend (a) provisional licences and (b) theory test certificates in response to the discontinuation of driving lessons during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
The quickest and easiest way to renew a driving a licence is using the online service, which is available as normal. There are no plans to extend provisional driving licences. The law requires drivers who hold a provisional photocard licence to renew it every ten years.
A maximum duration of two years is permitted between passing a theory test and a subsequent practical test. This is provided for in law and is in place for road safety reasons.
Asked by: Jane Stevenson (Conservative - Wolverhampton North East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether driving (a) lessons and (b) tests can resume in Tier 3 areas from 2 December 2020.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Driving lessons resumed in all areas in England on 2 December 2020. Driving tests restarted in tier 1 and 2 areas in England on 2 December 2020, and in tier 3 areas on 3 December 2020 with additional mitigations. Theory tests restarted in all areas in England on 2 December 2020.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that driving schools are able to re-open safely, as taxi companies have been permitted to, in the context of the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
As business owners, approved driving instructors (ADI) are responsible for ensuring their services remain safe and COVID-secure. Guidance on how ADIs can carry out risk assessments can be found on the Health and Safety Executive’s website at: https:www.hse.gov.uk
The requirement for pupils to wear PPE during a lesson is the decision of the driving instructor and the pupil.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has worked closely with trade associations, such as the National Associations Strategic Partnership (NASP), and shared its plans with them to allow NASP to publish guidance for ADIs. NASP has also produced guidance on training which is available online at: www.n-a-s-p.co.uk/
The DVSA has also signposted ADIs to Government guidance on safety in vehicles and while working. A copy of the guidance can be found online at: https:www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-restarting-driver- and-rider-training-and-tests
The DVSA does not have sufficient or direct powers to instruct ADIs to take certain measures; it can only offer guidance, which is what it has done.
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of offering the same grants that are available to taxi companies to driving schools.
Answered by Kemi Badenoch - President of the Board of Trade
The Government appreciates this is a challenging time for many sectors and individuals, including driving schools and instructors. With the resurgence of the virus and tightening of restrictions to protect people's health, we have taken further steps to protect jobs and businesses.
Driving schools will benefit from an extension of the furlough scheme to the end of March. Self-employed driving instructors will benefit from an extension of the income support grant. This support has increased to 80% of average profits, up to £7,500, covering November to January.
This support for individuals sits alongside support for businesses of all sizes including grant funding distributed through Local Authorities. During this difficult time the Treasury is working intensively with employers, delivery partners, industry groups and other government departments to understand the long-term effects of COVID-19 and specific challenges to the wider economy.
Asked by: John Stevenson (Conservative - Carlisle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to support people who have had their driving lessons cancelled as a result of covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
Following Government guidance, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has suspended practical driver testing in England until Thursday 3 December 2020. The DVSA has asked approved driving instructors to respect the national restrictions in England, reduce day-to-day contact with others, and not carry out driver training until the restrictions have been lifted. 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.
The DVSA is contacting candidates whose driving tests are affected by covid-19 restrictions to tell them what they need to do. The agency 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.