Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance has been issued to Jobcentre Plus on promoting DVSA driving examiner vacancies to suitable jobseekers; what activity Jobcentre Plus has undertaken to advertise or proactively match candidates to these roles; and how many referrals to DVSA driving examiner recruitment have been made via Jobcentre Plus in each of the last two years.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Jobcentre Plus (JCP) actively promotes vacancies, including roles with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), by matching a claimant’s skills and circumstances to available roles.
The DWP’s Strategic Relationship Team is working with the DVSA to test a new recruitment approach for Driving Examiner roles in six priority locations. This work involves the introduction of a one day assessment centre under a Direct Temporary Recruitment (DTR) model to create a faster and more efficient process. Part of this process will include JCP Work Coaches identifying suitable candidates, arranging informal discussions and driving assessments.
Locations deemed as priority sites by DVSA are Bedford, Bletchley, Bromley, Slough, Southampton and Tottenham in North London. Across theses initial pilot sites there will be at least 30 vacancies and capacity for up to 96 referrals.
The pilot will help determine whether this streamlined route can support areas that have been hardest to recruit for and whether it should be expanded to additional locations in future.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2026 to Question 107160, which countries are defined by the Nursing and Midwifery Council as majority English-speaking for the purposes of meeting English language proficiency requirements.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has published an accepted list of countries where English is a majority spoken language on its website. This is available at the following link:
This list is primarily based on the UK Visas and Immigration skilled worker visa list, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/knowledge-of-english
Any variation from this list is based on independent evidence as to whether a country is majority English-speaking.
No assessment has been made by the Department of the adequacy of English language proficiency requirements for registered nurses and care staff in National Health Service settings.
As the independent regulator of registered nurses, the NMC is responsible for establishing the requirements that applicants must meet to demonstrate English language proficiency for registration.
It is the responsibility of NHS employers to assess the English language proficiency of nurses and the care staff they employ as part of their recruitment process to ensure workers have a sufficient level of English to carry out their role safely.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2026 to Question 107160, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of English language proficiency requirements for registered nurses and care staff in NHS settings.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has published an accepted list of countries where English is a majority spoken language on its website. This is available at the following link:
This list is primarily based on the UK Visas and Immigration skilled worker visa list, which is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/skilled-worker-visa/knowledge-of-english
Any variation from this list is based on independent evidence as to whether a country is majority English-speaking.
No assessment has been made by the Department of the adequacy of English language proficiency requirements for registered nurses and care staff in National Health Service settings.
As the independent regulator of registered nurses, the NMC is responsible for establishing the requirements that applicants must meet to demonstrate English language proficiency for registration.
It is the responsibility of NHS employers to assess the English language proficiency of nurses and the care staff they employ as part of their recruitment process to ensure workers have a sufficient level of English to carry out their role safely.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government has considered writing to individuals who have previously failed the Approved Driving Instructor Part 3 test to highlight opportunities to train as DVSA driving examiners.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since 4 July 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has run seven driving examiner recruitment campaigns. The table below shows in which months these were live and the number of vacancies advertised.
Month | Driving examiner vacancies advertised |
September 2024 | 244 |
March 2025 | 189 |
July 2025 | 147 |
Two adverts in September 2025 | 322 |
Two adverts in December 2025 | 260 |
All DVSA driving examiner roles are civilian posts and are open to applications from people seeking full-time, or part-time, employment. DVSA does not recruit Defence Driving Examiner posts as these are employed by the Ministry of Defence.
DVSA seeks to attract applications from as wide a pool as possible, and not just from those who may have a driving instructor background. For this reason, DVSA has not chosen to target people who may previously have been unsuccessful in alternate roles in the industry.
DVSA has a recruitment page on the GOV.UK website that provides information on how to become a driving examiner. The agency uses Government Recruitment Services, Civil Service Jobs and external recruitment organisations to support it in reaching as many interested parties as possible.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2026 to Question 107776, if she will make an estimate the number of uninsured motorcycles on roads.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department for Transport has not made an estimate on the number of uninsured motorcycles on our roads. However, we take uninsured driving very seriously and work with motor insurance stakeholders and law enforcement to crack down on those who choose not to insure their vehicles.
As part of the Government’s new Road Safety Strategy, published on 7 January 2026, the Department has launched a consultation on motoring offences, including a review of existing penalties for unlicensed driving or for driving not in accordance with a licence.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many job advertisements for driving test examiners were listed on the Civil Service Jobs Search gov.uk website in each month since 4 July 2024; and how many of those roles were (a) full-time and (b) part-time and (i) civilian or (ii) defence Driving Examiner posts.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since 4 July 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has run seven driving examiner recruitment campaigns. The table below shows in which months these were live and the number of vacancies advertised.
Month | Driving examiner vacancies advertised |
September 2024 | 244 |
March 2025 | 189 |
July 2025 | 147 |
Two adverts in September 2025 | 322 |
Two adverts in December 2025 | 260 |
All DVSA driving examiner roles are civilian posts and are open to applications from people seeking full-time, or part-time, employment. DVSA does not recruit Defence Driving Examiner posts as these are employed by the Ministry of Defence.
DVSA seeks to attract applications from as wide a pool as possible, and not just from those who may have a driving instructor background. For this reason, DVSA has not chosen to target people who may previously have been unsuccessful in alternate roles in the industry.
DVSA has a recruitment page on the GOV.UK website that provides information on how to become a driving examiner. The agency uses Government Recruitment Services, Civil Service Jobs and external recruitment organisations to support it in reaching as many interested parties as possible.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government has considered advertising driving examiner vacancies on the GOV.UK page “Apply to become a driving instructor”.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Since 4 July 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has run seven driving examiner recruitment campaigns. The table below shows in which months these were live and the number of vacancies advertised.
Month | Driving examiner vacancies advertised |
September 2024 | 244 |
March 2025 | 189 |
July 2025 | 147 |
Two adverts in September 2025 | 322 |
Two adverts in December 2025 | 260 |
All DVSA driving examiner roles are civilian posts and are open to applications from people seeking full-time, or part-time, employment. DVSA does not recruit Defence Driving Examiner posts as these are employed by the Ministry of Defence.
DVSA seeks to attract applications from as wide a pool as possible, and not just from those who may have a driving instructor background. For this reason, DVSA has not chosen to target people who may previously have been unsuccessful in alternate roles in the industry.
DVSA has a recruitment page on the GOV.UK website that provides information on how to become a driving examiner. The agency uses Government Recruitment Services, Civil Service Jobs and external recruitment organisations to support it in reaching as many interested parties as possible.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to her oral contribution of 9 December 2025 in the debate on the Railways Bill, Official Report, column 207, how the £150 million figure relates to the £663 million per year efficiency saving projected for 2028–29 in the Departmental Efficiency Plan.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The oral contribution on 9 December 2025 in the debate on the Railways Bill referred to savings from management and performance fees payable to private sector operators. These savings are factored into the Department's Spending Review settlement but are not included in the published Departmental Efficiency Plan.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 2 February 2026 to Question 105279, whether the Office for Students has had discussions with commercial pilot training providers on registration with that office.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Registration with the Office for Students (OfS) is voluntary and open to providers that meet the statutory definition of an English higher education provider. This includes those delivering higher‑level courses within the scope of the OfS regulatory framework.
Operational decisions concerning engagement with potential applicants regarding registration, including discussions with commercial pilot training providers, are matters for the OfS as an independent regulator.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2026 to Question 107163, what information her Department holds on airport kerbside drop-off charges.
Answered by Keir Mather - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
There is no requirement for airports or airport car park providers to provide details of drop-off charges to the Department. We regularly engage with airports on surface access strategies and drop-off charges form part of these wider discussions. Information about individual airports' car parking and drop-off charges is available on their respective public websites.