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 and what proportion of driving-test bookings had their test location changed before the test was taken in the last 12 months.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Between the 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025, just over 565,000 tests were recorded as being moved between driving test centres (DTC). This equates to approximately 31% of tests. Please note, in line with other published data that the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) produces, this data currently only covers the 12-month period from July 2024 to June 2025.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the average number of working days lost to sickness absence per full-time equivalent member of staff was in (a) the Department and (b) its executive agencies in the last year; and how many formal performance warnings were issued to staff whose absence exceeded departmental triggers.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The figures below are calculated as a rolling 12-month period up until 31st October 2025.
The Average Working Days Lost for the Department is currently 4.2.
The table below shows the average working days lost for the Department’s Executive Agencies
Column1 | Average Working Days Lost |
ATE | 0.90 |
DVLA | 13.11 |
DVSA | 9.36 |
MCA | 7.17 |
VCA | 9.06 |
The total number of formal performance warnings issued to staff who exceeded departmental triggers for the Department for Transport and its Executive Agencies for the rolling 12-month period up until 31st October 2025 is 21.
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 and what proportion of staff were promoted (a) in-grade and (b) to a higher grade in the last year broken down by (i) performance marking in the previous year and (ii) grade.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Higher Grade promotions | |||
| Total Staff | Higher grade promotions | Proportion |
AO/EO | 529 | 5 | 1% |
HEO/SEO/FS | 1820 | 138 | 8% |
G7/G6 | 1816 | 118 | 6% |
SCS | 267 | 21 | 8% |
Totals | 4432 | 282 | 6% |
Payband Groups | Higher grade promotions | 23/24 Year End Marking |
AE/EO | 5 | Not Available/Reportable |
HEO/SEO/FS | 24 | Achieving |
HEO/SEO/FS | 6 | Developing |
HEO/SEO/FS | 57 | Exceeding |
HEO/SEO/FS | 44 | Not Available/Reportable |
HEO/SEO/FS | 7 | Outstanding |
G7/G6 | 33 | Achieving |
G7/G6 | <5 | Developing |
G7/G6 | 45 | Exceeding |
G7/G6 | 32 | Not Available/Reportable |
G7/G6 | 7 | Outstanding |
SCS | 9 | Achieving |
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 disciplinary cases were concluded against civil servants in (a) the Department and (b) its agencies broken down by (i) outcome and (ii) whether the primary allegation related to (A) performance and (B) conduct.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Over the past 12 months (1st November 2024 to 31st October 2025), a total of 247 ‘Discipline’ cases and 58 ‘Managing Poor Performance’ cases have been concluded in the Department for Transport’s central department and its Executive Agencies. A breakdown of the outcomes for these cases is captured in the 2 tables below.
1st November 2024 to 31st October 2025 | ||||||
Outcomes from Discipline Cases | DfTc | DVLA | DVSA | MCA | VCA | Total |
Dismissal | <5 | 17 | 18 | <5 | <5 |
|
Employee Deceased | 0 | <5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
Final Written Warning | 0 | <5 | <5 | <5 | 0 |
|
Final Written Warning – 12 months | 0 | 11 | 17 | 0 | <5 |
|
First Written Warning | <5 | 14 | 27 | <5 | 0 |
|
Informal Action | 6 | 13 | 15 | 6 | <5 |
|
No Action | <5 | 20 | 32 | <5 | 0 |
|
No Outcome Provided | <5 | <5 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
|
Resignation | <5 | <5 | 5 | <5 | <5 |
|
Withdrawn | <5 | 0 | <5 | 0 | 0 |
|
Total |
|
|
|
|
| 247 |
1st November 2024 to 31st October 2025 | ||||||
Outcomes from Managing Poor Performance Cases | DfTc | DVLA | DVSA | MCA | VCA | Total |
Alternative Role | <5 | 0 | <5 | 0 | 0 |
|
Dismissal | <5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
First Written Warning Issued | 0 | 9 | <5 | <5 | 0 |
|
Improvement Noted | 7 | <5 | <5 | <5 | 0 |
|
Informal Action | 14 | <5 | <5 | 11 | 0 |
|
Mediation | <5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
|
No Action | 7 | <5 | <5 | 0 | 0 |
|
No Outcome Provided | 5 | <5 | <5 | 0 | 0 |
|
Resignation | <5 | <5 | <5 | <5 | 0 |
|
Total |
|
|
|
|
| 58 |
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 and what proportion of staff in each grade were rated in the top performance category in the last year.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The table below shows the number and proportion of each non-Senior Civil Service (SCS) grade receiving the top performance category at the end of 2024/25 for DfTc.
Grade | Number of staff receiving the top performance category (“Outstanding”) | Proportion of staff in grade who received a performance descriptor (%) |
AO-EO | 16 | 7.2% |
HEO | 21 | 5.1% |
SEO | 36 | 6.4% |
Grade 7 | 53 | 7.4% |
Grade 6 | 40 | 12.7% |
The SCS have a separate performance management system. For the 2024/25 performance year, 20.3% of Group DfT SCS received a top performance category, following departmental moderation processes.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the total cost was of (a) settlement agreements and (b) special severance payments made to departing staff in the last year.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
For the last year (1st November 2024 to 31st October 2025), there have been no settlement agreements or special severance payments made to departing Department for Transport central staff outside of statutory, contractual or other requirements.
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 (a) Equality Impact Assessments and (b) equality screenings have been produced by her Department in the last three months.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department does not maintain a central record of the number of EIAs produced.
Equality screenings are a requirement under Northern Ireland’s Section 75 framework and are not part of standard equality assessment practice in Great Britain.
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 new driving instructors have been hired since January 2015.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not employ driving instructors. By law, approved driving instructors (ADI) cannot work as examiners at the same time as being a registered instructor, even temporarily.
Whilst DVSA does not have the power to either increase or limit the number of ADI, the number of instructors on DVSA’s ADI register has increased in the last few years.
The attached spreadsheet shows the number and percentage of practical driving test bookings, where the initial test candidate’s driving licence number was subsequently changed to a different driving test candidate’s licence number, in each month since March 2025.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has assessed the potential merits of offering bonus payments to driving instructors for undertaking driving tests above their contracted duties.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not employ driving instructors. By law, approved driving instructors (ADI) cannot work as examiners at the same time as being a registered instructor, even temporarily.
Whilst DVSA does not have the power to either increase or limit the number of ADI, the number of instructors on DVSA’s ADI register has increased in the last few years.
The attached spreadsheet shows the number and percentage of practical driving test bookings, where the initial test candidate’s driving licence number was subsequently changed to a different driving test candidate’s licence number, in each month since March 2025.
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 and what proportion of driving-licence numbers entered on driving-test booking forms have subsequently been changed since March 2025.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) does not employ driving instructors. By law, approved driving instructors (ADI) cannot work as examiners at the same time as being a registered instructor, even temporarily.
Whilst DVSA does not have the power to either increase or limit the number of ADI, the number of instructors on DVSA’s ADI register has increased in the last few years.
The attached spreadsheet shows the number and percentage of practical driving test bookings, where the initial test candidate’s driving licence number was subsequently changed to a different driving test candidate’s licence number, in each month since March 2025.