Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the availability of driving tests in (a) Kendal and (b) Heysham; and what steps her Department is taking to help reduce waiting times for practical driving tests in these areas.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is aware that car practical driving test waiting times remain high and understands the impact this is having on learner drivers.

DVSA is continuing to recruit as many driving examiners (DE) as possible, including at Kendal, Heysham and Barrow in Furness. From a previous recruitment campaign, two potential new DEs, following successful completion of training, will be joining Kendal and Barrow in Furness in late autumn.

Currently DEs from Kendal and Heysham are being deployed to Barrow in Furness to meet testing demand. As part of its current recruitment campaign, DVSA has advertised for DEs for Barrow in Furness. This will enable DVSA to meet local demand in Barrow in Furness and increase test availability in Kendal and Heysham.