Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Driving Test Backlog

Thursday 15 May 2025 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial efforts are focused on implementing a seven-point plan to address driving test backlogs.
  • Sixteen five new driving examiners have been trained and are working to reduce test waiting times.
  • The Minister acknowledged that learner drivers are booking tests in rural areas to avoid long waiting times.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Juliet Campbell Lab Broxtowe
Transport
Context

The driving test backlog is a significant issue, with constituents in Broxtowe facing difficulties booking tests due to a shortage of examiners. The government announced measures last December to address the backlog.

Question

I thank the Minister for her efforts towards improving access to driving tests. However, in my constituency of Broxtowe, I continually get emails saying that people are struggling to book tests due to a shortage of examiners. Will she provide us with an update following the instruction made last year to the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency to double the number of examiners being trained?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood)

My hon. Friend is right to raise this issue. We are holding the DVSA to account for successfully implementing the measures in last December’s seven-point plan. Some 165 new driving examiners have already passed their training and are working in driving test centres, and last year the DVSA provided 1.95 million tests. This month, it will launch an accelerated consultation on improvements to the test booking system to end the reselling of tests and the exploitation of learners.

Answered
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Q2 David Mundell Con Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale
Transport
Context

The displacement of learner drivers to rural areas due to the pressure on driving test centres is causing concern about local applicants getting priority.

Question

Does the Minister acknowledge that part of what has happened as a result of the pressure tests has been a displacement of learner drivers to test centres in rural areas, where they perceive that there might be less waiting time? That is prejudicing against local applicants. Will she do everything she can to ensure that local applicants for tests get priority?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood)

The right hon. Gentleman raises an important point. We know that people are booking tests in parts of the country where they have no intention of taking a test, because they can swap that for a test in another driving test centre. That is one of the issues addressed in the call for evidence that was launched in December. We have heard that evidence, and we will consult on further changes to the booking system that might address the issue that he raises.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The Minister did not commit to prioritizing local applicants but acknowledged the issue and mentioned ongoing consultations.

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Q3 Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire
Transport
Context

The Minister's predecessor admitted that waiting times for driving tests were at record highs during Labour's tenure, and the current government aims to reduce waiting times to seven weeks by summer next year.

Question

At the Transport Committee in April, the Secretary of State admitted that under Labour’s watch, “waiting times for access to driving tests hit new highs.” For all the talk of a new plan, she then admitted that the Government only aim to reduce driving test waiting times to seven weeks by “summer next year”. That is no good for young people waiting, needing the freedom to drive to get to college or work now. When will the Government see the real urgency for real people and pick up the pace?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood)

We are acting to fix the mess that the shadow Minister’s Government left behind. Our seven-point plan is being implemented, and last month, the Secretary of State announced additional measures. We are determined to succeed where the last Government failed.

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide a clearer timeline or urgent action but rather focused on blaming the previous government.

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Q4 Greg Smith Con Mid Buckinghamshire
Transport
Context

The Minister's predecessor admitted that waiting times for driving tests were at record highs during Labour's tenure, and the current government aims to reduce waiting times to seven weeks by summer next year.

Question

I do not think the Minister has got the memo that she is in charge now. The Government cannot hide behind the same old excuses and try to blame others, as average test volumes are now lower—on a month-by-month basis—than they were in the previous two years. In quarter 1 alone, nearly 100,000 fewer tests were conducted than in the same period in 2024. The average waiting time for a driving test in the UK sits at 22 weeks—over five months. That is up from 17.1 weeks in July 2024 and 20.4 weeks in February 2025. For all the Government’s promises, there has been no actual delivery. Why has capacity not increased or, at the very least, stayed the same as when we were in charge?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Lilian Greenwood)

The hon. Gentleman is not listening. We are implementing the seven-point plan, but turning around the mess and the problems that the Conservatives left us takes time. I am determined that we will see the results, that waiting times will come down and that we will support learner drivers. It cannot be done overnight when we are trying to fix 14 years of mess.

Not addressed: The Minister did not provide an explanation for decreased capacity but rather focused on blaming the previous government.

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