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Southend Driving Test Centre

The Petition of the residents of Southend. Declares that the residents of Southend strongly oppose the closure of Southend Driving Test Centre, which would mean that local residents would have to travel an unreasonable distance to take their driving tests. The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons call upon the Secretary of State for Transport to do all within her power to prevent the closure of Southend Driving Test Centre and ensure that a full and transparent public consultation is conducted should a closure be proposed in the future. And the Petitioners remain, etc. —[Presented by James Duddridge , Official Report, 3 June 2008; Vol. 476, c. 738 .] [P000195] Observations from the Secretary of State for Transport : The Driving Standards Agency has a statutory responsibility for setting standards for theory and practical driving tests and assessing the standard of driving at the practical driving test. Southend-on-Sea Driving Test Centre is located within the offices of the Department for Work and Pensions on Prittlewell Chase. This is a 1960s building that does not offer the modern facilities that the DSA tries to provide for customers and staff wherever possible. A new national network of Multi-Purpose Test Centres (MPTCs) is being developed to facilitate the implementation of European Commission Directive 2000/56/EC which introduced more demanding manoeuvres for practical motorcycling tests, and meets our needs for safer driving. DSA has considered how best to both meet the needs of driving test candidates in the Southend area and comply with the new European test requirements. The Agency is proposing to move driver and rider testing in the area to a new MPTC facility at Basildon, some 10 miles away. The relocation of the Southend facility to the Basildon MPTC would maximise the utilisation of the facility and ensure there is no wasteful over provision of facilities in the area. DSA has service standards that need to be met where possible. In areas with a population density equal to or more than 1,250 persons per square kilometre they state 18 Jun 2008 : Column 15P that most candidates should not have to travel more than 7 miles to a driving test centre. The proposed co-location of Southend driving test centre to Basildon would exceed this criterion and in accordance with the DSA Code of Practice on Written Consultations a public consultation commenced on 13 February and closed on 9 May 2008. 18 Jun 2008 : Column 16P DSA is currently reviewing responses to the consultation and they will be carefully considered before a final decision is made. Work is already underway at the Basildon site and, irrespective of the final decision about the closure of Southend driving test centre, motorcycle testing will move to Basildon.