Asked by: John Cooper (Conservative - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions she had with the Scottish Government prior to the meeting between the First Minister of Scotland and the President of Ireland on 26 November 2025 in Dublin; and whether officials were present at the meeting.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Under the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement, the Devolved Governments are entitled to have discussions with Ireland on matters within devolved competence. These meetings are not routinely attended by UK Government officials but the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is made aware of them in advance.
Asked by: John Cooper (Conservative - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether she had discussions with the Scottish Government prior to the meeting between the First Minister of Scotland and the Leader of Sinn Fein on 26 November 2025 in Dublin.
Answered by Stephen Doughty - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Under the provisions of the Good Friday Agreement, the Devolved Governments are entitled to have discussions with Ireland on matters within devolved competence. These meetings are not routinely attended by UK Government officials but the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is made aware of them in advance.
Asked by: John Cooper (Conservative - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who are currently trying to book a driving theory test in Dumfries and Galloway.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has a key performance indicator (KPI) to provide theory test candidates with a test appointment within 28 days of their preferred date which is measured as a regional average. Despite unprecedented levels of demand for theory tests this KPI is consistently met.
The average waiting time for a practical driving test at Dumfries driving test centre is currently 15.5 weeks.
It is not possible to confirm how many people are trying to book a driving theory test. DVSA only holds data on the number of tests booked.
On the 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times.
In the coming months, DVSA will:
DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country, including in the Southeast to provide as many tests as possible. Since July last year, DVSA has recruited and trained 344 driving examiners (DE) who are now in post and delivering driving tests. A full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.
During 2025, DVSA has recruited three new driving examiners for Carlisle test centre, which will help to provide additional resource and cover for Dumfries driving test centre. DVSA is continuing to review recruitment on a regular basis and although Dumfries driving test centre is currently at capacity, DVSA will review options to increase test availability, including offering overtime to examiners.
Asked by: John Cooper (Conservative - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average wait time is for 1) a driving theory test and 2) a driving test in Dumfries and Galloway constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has a key performance indicator (KPI) to provide theory test candidates with a test appointment within 28 days of their preferred date which is measured as a regional average. Despite unprecedented levels of demand for theory tests this KPI is consistently met.
The average waiting time for a practical driving test at Dumfries driving test centre is currently 15.5 weeks.
It is not possible to confirm how many people are trying to book a driving theory test. DVSA only holds data on the number of tests booked.
On the 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times.
In the coming months, DVSA will:
DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country, including in the Southeast to provide as many tests as possible. Since July last year, DVSA has recruited and trained 344 driving examiners (DE) who are now in post and delivering driving tests. A full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.
During 2025, DVSA has recruited three new driving examiners for Carlisle test centre, which will help to provide additional resource and cover for Dumfries driving test centre. DVSA is continuing to review recruitment on a regular basis and although Dumfries driving test centre is currently at capacity, DVSA will review options to increase test availability, including offering overtime to examiners.
Asked by: John Cooper (Conservative - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the availability of (a) driving theory tests and (b) driving tests in Dumfries and Galloway constituency.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has a key performance indicator (KPI) to provide theory test candidates with a test appointment within 28 days of their preferred date which is measured as a regional average. Despite unprecedented levels of demand for theory tests this KPI is consistently met.
The average waiting time for a practical driving test at Dumfries driving test centre is currently 15.5 weeks.
It is not possible to confirm how many people are trying to book a driving theory test. DVSA only holds data on the number of tests booked.
On the 12 November, the Secretary of State for Transport, updated the Transport Select Committee on the government’s ongoing response to high driving test waiting times.
In the coming months, DVSA will:
DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country, including in the Southeast to provide as many tests as possible. Since July last year, DVSA has recruited and trained 344 driving examiners (DE) who are now in post and delivering driving tests. A full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.
During 2025, DVSA has recruited three new driving examiners for Carlisle test centre, which will help to provide additional resource and cover for Dumfries driving test centre. DVSA is continuing to review recruitment on a regular basis and although Dumfries driving test centre is currently at capacity, DVSA will review options to increase test availability, including offering overtime to examiners.
Asked by: John Cooper (Conservative - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal migrants were apprehended between Stranraer and Belfast in each of the last three years; and how many of those were apprehended during a) daytime and b) evening sailings.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
To maintain the highest standards of accuracy, the Home Office prefers to refer to published data, as this has been subject to rigorous quality assurance under National Statistics protocols prior to publication.
Information about illegal migrants encountered specifically at the Port of Cairnryan and between Stranraer and Belfast is not available in our published data.
Our published national data on enforcement activity is available at the following link and includes data on irregular migration: Immigration system statistics, year ending June 2025 - GOV.UK
Asked by: John Cooper (Conservative - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal migrants have been apprehended onboard ferry sailings between Stranraer and Belfast in each of the last three years.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
To maintain the highest standards of accuracy, the Home Office prefers to refer to published data, as this has been subject to rigorous quality assurance under National Statistics protocols prior to publication.
Information about illegal migrants encountered specifically at the Port of Cairnryan and between Stranraer and Belfast is not available in our published data.
Our published national data on enforcement activity is available at the following link and includes data on irregular migration: Immigration system statistics, year ending June 2025 - GOV.UK
Asked by: John Cooper (Conservative - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal migrants have been apprehended at the Port of Cairnryan in each of the last three years.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
To maintain the highest standards of accuracy, the Home Office prefers to refer to published data, as this has been subject to rigorous quality assurance under National Statistics protocols prior to publication.
Information about illegal migrants encountered specifically at the Port of Cairnryan and between Stranraer and Belfast is not available in our published data.
Our published national data on enforcement activity is available at the following link and includes data on irregular migration: Immigration system statistics, year ending June 2025 - GOV.UK
Asked by: John Cooper (Conservative - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the number of Border Officers employed at the Port of Cairnryan a) during the day and b) in the evening.
Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
In the interests of maintaining border security, Border Force does not routinely disclose information of a port-specific nature.
Asked by: John Cooper (Conservative - Dumfries and Galloway)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps he is taking to replace the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023.
Answered by Hilary Benn - Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
I introduced the Northern Ireland Troubles Bill on 14 October – a significant step in fulfilling our commitment to repeal and replace the Legacy Act.
The Bill received its Second Reading yesterday, and I look forward to continued debate and scrutiny as it progresses through Parliament.