Asked by: Peter Swallow (Labour - Bracknell)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress has her Department made on helping to reduce the waiting time for driving test appointments.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times. The agency is intensifying its efforts to reduce waiting times and improve access to driving tests that will break down barriers to opportunity as part of the government’s Plan for Change. The national average waiting time for a car practical driving test in January 2026 was 21.2 weeks.
DVSA is continuing with recruitment campaigns across the country to provide as many tests as possible. A full-time driving examiner (DE) can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.
Examiner capacity is rising. Since April 2025, and as of January 2026, DVSA has seen an increase in the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) DEs, from 1,413 to 1,546; an increase of 130 FTE DEs.
During the current financial year to 31 January 2026, DVSA has conducted 1,623,925 tests. DVSA introduced the additional test allowance scheme in June 2025; from this date to 31 January 2026, DVSA has seen an increase of 123,320 tests when compared to the same period in the previous year.
Asked by: Peter Swallow (Labour - Bracknell)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she has taken to consult with groups representing motorcyclists to inform the Integrated National Transport Strategy for England.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The department has conducted extensive research and engagement with stakeholders and members of the public to inform the strategy. We have heard directly from motorcyclists and motorcycle representative groups, including the Motorcycle Action Group, through our Call for Ideas which closed with 6,340 responses and an 11-stop Regional Roadshow across England.
The insights gathered through our engagement activities have been analysed and have directly informed the strategy. The strategy will seek to address the main barriers people face in accessing good transport that were identified through our engagement.
Officials also met bilaterally with the Motorcycle Action Group on 29 August 2025 to respond to a range of matters of concern to motorcyclists which included an update on the development of the strategy. An update was also provided at a meeting of the officials-led Motorcycle Strategic Focus Group on 15 September 2025, chaired by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency.