Written question asked by Lord Kempsell (Conservative) on Tuesday, 17 March 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 31 March 2026. It was answered by Lord Hendy of Richmond Hill (Labour) on Tuesday, 31 March 2026 on behalf of the Department for Transport.
Driving Tests: Recruitment
- Question
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To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are considering further initiatives to increase the number of driving examiners.
- Answer
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As driving tests taking place in March contribute to the total tests provided in the 2025 to 2026 financial year, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) will not be able to provide a final overall figure until April at the earliest.
The average waiting time in weeks, as of February 2026, was 21.6 weeks.
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.
Examiner capacity is rising, with 1,556 full-time equivalent (FTE) examiners now in post supported by ongoing recruitment and training changes. The 1,556 FTE DEs in February 2026 is an increase of 108 when compared to the number of DEs in February 2025 (1,448 FTEs).
Secondary information
- Type
- Written question
- Reference
- HL15667
- Session
- 2024-26
- Grouped for answer
- Yes
- Subjects
- Driving tests Recruitment
- Link
- View this Written question on www.parliament.uk
Librarians' tools
- Timestamp
- 2026-03-31 16:47:11 +0100
- URI
- http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/lords/2024-26/HL15667
- In Indexing
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- In Solr
- https://search.parliament.uk/claw/solr/?id=http://data.parliament.uk/writtenparliamentaryquestion/lords/2024-26/HL15667