Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of cancellation checking apps for driving tests on the (a) Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency booking system and (b) on individuals' ability to book a driving test.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) recognises there is a high demand for learners who are wanting to take their car practical driving test.

The DVSA has a 24-week forward booking window and tests are not available to book beyond this. As the booking service is live, test appointments can also become available to book through other candidates cancelling, or rescheduling, their test.

The DVSA is aware of apps or bots that constantly search its systems for driving test slots. The DVSA does not employ, encourage or licence anyone to provide a cancellation checking service. Such apps or bots are not approved by the DVSA as they make it harder for candidates to get a test and can also result in people paying more for a test, than the official test fee. Using such services also means that any changes to the test may not necessarily be relayed to the candidate.

To ensure its booking system is used correctly, the DVSA has:

- stopped accepting new automatic online registrations to use its tests booking service – any new applications must be made by email, where they will be thoroughly checked by the DVSA.

- stopped accepting any new registrations from companies who do not directly employ a driving instructor.

- removed registrations not linked to driving instructors.

- reduced the number of times a driving test appointment can be changed from 10 to the pre-pandemic limit of 6 and updated the test booking service terms and conditions to make it clear that users must not book tests and sell them for profit.

Users found breaching the terms and conditions may have their accounts closed.

The DVSA will continue to take steps to block cancellation services from accessing the booking system, which are having a positive impact. Since recent changes, there has been a significant drop in traffic to these services because the DVSA is successfully identifying and blocking apps or bots.

The agency will also continue to inform candidates of the official channels for booking a test. The DVSA has taken measures to encourage learners to use the official booking site on GOV.UK by ensuring that it appears as high as possible on popular search engines and by promoting the official website on social media.

As a result of the measures already taken by the DVSA, overall, since April 2021, an estimated 813,000 additional car test slots have been created. On average, the DVSA is creating approximately 35,300 extra car test slots each month.

Actions already being taken to make this possible include asking all those qualified to conduct tests but who do not do so as part of their current day job to return to conducting tests, conducting out of hours testing, such as on public holidays and weekends, asking recently retired driving examiners to return, and recruiting more than 300 driving examiners across Great Britain.