Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the response received to written question 44482 answered on 23 April 2025, what progress she has made on recruiting Driving Examiners at i) Arbroath Test Centre and ii) Dundee Test Centre.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DVSA has agreed with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) that 36 defence driving examiners (DDE) will carry out driving tests. The DDEs will be based at the driving test centre (DTC) with the highest demand near either their MOD base location or where they live. These locations are in England.
To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, DVSA continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests across the country.
Alongside military support, DVSA is introducing new rules to tackle unfair booking practices that have allowed bots and resellers to profit at learners’ expense.
Further details on the steps announced 12 November, can be found on GOV.UK: Mirror, signal, manoeuvres: Military driving examiners mobilised to cut test backlog - GOV.UK
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.
For Arbroath and Dundee DTCs, whilst one candidate did not successfully complete their training earlier this year, DVSA successfully recruited an additional DE for Dundee DTC during the summer.
DVSA is launching a new recruitment campaign for DE positions at Dundee in the coming weeks, with the aim for successful candidates to be in place by early 2026.
Additionally, to further support test availability in Dundee & Arbroath, DVSA are transferring an examiner to Dundee DTC. DVSA anticipate that their transfer will be finalised by early 2026 as well.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she plans to deploy defence driving examiners in Scotland to help reduce the backlog of learners waiting for a driving test.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DVSA has agreed with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) that 36 defence driving examiners (DDE) will carry out driving tests. The DDEs will be based at the driving test centre (DTC) with the highest demand near either their MOD base location or where they live. These locations are in England.
To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, DVSA continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests across the country.
Alongside military support, DVSA is introducing new rules to tackle unfair booking practices that have allowed bots and resellers to profit at learners’ expense.
Further details on the steps announced 12 November, can be found on GOV.UK: Mirror, signal, manoeuvres: Military driving examiners mobilised to cut test backlog - GOV.UK
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.
For Arbroath and Dundee DTCs, whilst one candidate did not successfully complete their training earlier this year, DVSA successfully recruited an additional DE for Dundee DTC during the summer.
DVSA is launching a new recruitment campaign for DE positions at Dundee in the coming weeks, with the aim for successful candidates to be in place by early 2026.
Additionally, to further support test availability in Dundee & Arbroath, DVSA are transferring an examiner to Dundee DTC. DVSA anticipate that their transfer will be finalised by early 2026 as well.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help prevent companies adding premiums to third party booking of driving tests.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DVSA has agreed with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) that 36 defence driving examiners (DDE) will carry out driving tests. The DDEs will be based at the driving test centre (DTC) with the highest demand near either their MOD base location or where they live. These locations are in England.
To ensure fairness for everyone wanting to book a practical driving test, DVSA continues to work hard to combat the unscrupulous practice of reselling tests across the country.
Alongside military support, DVSA is introducing new rules to tackle unfair booking practices that have allowed bots and resellers to profit at learners’ expense.
Further details on the steps announced 12 November, can be found on GOV.UK: Mirror, signal, manoeuvres: Military driving examiners mobilised to cut test backlog - GOV.UK
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.
For Arbroath and Dundee DTCs, whilst one candidate did not successfully complete their training earlier this year, DVSA successfully recruited an additional DE for Dundee DTC during the summer.
DVSA is launching a new recruitment campaign for DE positions at Dundee in the coming weeks, with the aim for successful candidates to be in place by early 2026.
Additionally, to further support test availability in Dundee & Arbroath, DVSA are transferring an examiner to Dundee DTC. DVSA anticipate that their transfer will be finalised by early 2026 as well.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing vehicle tax exemption applications to be made online.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Customers who receive the enhanced rate mobility component of the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and whose vehicles are already licensed in the disabled taxation class can renew their vehicle excise duty (VED) exemption online.
Those customers who receive the standard rate mobility component of PIP, which entitles them to a 50% reduction in the rate of VED payable, or those who receive the enhanced rate mobility component but are applying to license their vehicle in the disabled tax class for the first time must do so at the Post Office or by sending their application to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
Facilitating these applications to be made online requires the electronic exchange of data held by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with the DVLA. Officials are considering how to improve the ability for customers in receipt of PIP to transact with the DVLA.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
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 practical driving tests at (a) Arbroath Test Centre and (b) Dundee Test Centre.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
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.
On the 18 December 2024, DVSA set out further plans to reduce driving test waiting times across the country. These steps include recruiting 450 driving examiners (DEs). Full details of these steps can be found on GOV.UK.
DVSA continues to recruit DEs at Arbroath and Dundee driving test centres (DTC) and is currently working through the recruitment process from recent campaigns. As part of this, DVSA has two potential new DEs, one is booked on a training course and one is undergoing pre-employment checks. Additionally, one DE successfully passed training and is now conducting driving tests at Dundee and Arbroath.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the (a) cost to the public purse of and (b) money spent on the infrastructure required to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by Lord Grayling
My Department spent a total of £6.6m between 2016/17 and 2017/18 preparing for all EU Exit scenarios. In this financial year we are forecasting to spend up to £75.8m for all scenarios.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on his Department spending more UK-wide expenditure outwith the Barnett formula in Scotland over the last twelve months.
Answered by Nusrat Ghani
The Secretary of State for Transport meets with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on a regular basis to discuss a range of matters of mutual interest.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many cases are awaiting a decision of the Medical Committee at the DVLA; and what the average waiting time is for resolution of those enquiries.
Answered by Jesse Norman - Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
The length of time taken to deal with an application depends on the medical condition and whether further information is required from medical professionals, such as a driver’s GP. In the financial year 2017/18, it took an average of 32 days to make a decision on a medical case, down from 37 days in the previous financial year.
The DVLA has made major improvements in the length of time taken to deal with medical cases. In the last year, additional doctors have been recruited, taking the number employed from 22 to 35. In addition, ten nurses and additional casework staff have also been recruited to deal with the complex medical casework.
In the last year the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) dealt with over 750,000 medical cases. It is not possible to provide the number of cases requiring medical investigation, with more than 14,000 cases being received each week.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what consultation there has been with the Scottish Government on the implementation of the Polar Code from 1 January 2017.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government has not yet implemented the Polar Code which is due to enter into force next year. However, we will formally consult all stakeholders, including the Scottish Government, before we introduce the UK Regulations.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on Scotland of the planned implementation of the Polar Code.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The International Code for Ships Operating in Polar Waters as adopted by the International Maritime Organization addresses the standards and operation of ships in the Polar Regions. It is intended to provide an appropriate level of safety and environmental protection for vessels operating in these regions.
No specific assessment has been made of the Code’s impact on Scotland. However, there was wide consultation with British stakeholders during the negotiation of the Code ahead of it being adopted in the IMO’s safety committee in 2014 and environment committee in 2015. The Government believes that UK ports and shipping industry are well placed to meet their obligations under the Polar Code when it comes into force in 2017, and to ensure that British activities in the Polar Regions continue to be undertaken in a safe and environmentally responsible way.