§ 6. Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for Transport how many driving test examiners are employed by his Department (a) nationally and (b) in Leicester; what qualifications are required of driving examiners; and if he will make a statement.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport (Mr. Peter Bottomley)(a) 1,445; (b) 15. The waiting times in Leicester are below the national average. I have arranged for the information on qualifications to be placed in the Official Report.
§ Mr. BruinvelsI welcome the possible privatisation of driver testing, which would reduce waiting lists. The average waiting time for the 2 million driving tests each year is 15 weeks. Will my hon. Friend investigate urgently the possible impersonation by a number of people in driver tests? Is he aware that in the east midlands people are charging £200 to take someone else's driving test? In one case, the person failed the test—even though he had a current driving licence—then went outside the driving test centre, removed the L plates, drove away, and was eventually prosecuted and fined £300. Will my hon. Friend investigate this as a matter of urgency?
§ Mr. BottomleyI am grateful to my hon. Friend for his welcome of the internal review of driving tests. We do not have fixed views on what the outcome should be. We know that it is right to see whether improvements could be made. My hon. Friend seems to have given one example of an instance when impersonation, or personation, was detected. If he has any further information on that or other cases, will he give it to us? It is not right for us to give every bit of information on how we check people who falsely take the driving test, but all information will be welcome.
§ Mr. Robert HughesWhat on earth possessed the Minister to bring forward the bizarre idea that, by privatising driver testing, he could increase efficiency and improve pass rates? Will driving schools offer 10 lessons at £100 or 10 lessons at £300, with a driving licence at the end of the course?
§ Mr. BottomleyThe hon. Gentleman should be aware that we try to run the driving test regime in a way that is seen to be safe, fair and honest. It is our intention to keep it that way. We want to see whether it is possible to give customers a better service and to get greater efficiency. —[Interruption.] I ask the hon. Gentleman to listen to my reply. I listened to his question. If I may, through the hon. Gentleman, I shall speak to the 1 million people a year who take the driving test. It is ludicrous that over half of them present themselves when they are likely to fail. It is ludicrous to have a waiting time of 13 weeks on average. It is sensible to see whether we can make improvements that can include delegation to the private sector.
Following is the information:
Examiners must be over 26 years old. They must have at least six years experience of driving different types of vehicles, and wide experience of driving in the three years before appointment. They must demonstrate their driving ability in 680 a special test. After initial selection by interview, they must complete successfully an intensive residential training course, usually lasting four weeks.