Mr. Ted Fletcherasked the Minister of Transport in view of the fact that the average waiting time throughout Great Britain for a driving test is four weeks and the average waiting time in Darlington is nine weeks, what steps he proposes to take to reduce the waiting time for learner-drivers in Darlington.
§ Mr. MurrayOver the last 3 months the average waiting time at Darlington has been 7 weeks compared with a national average of 4 weeks. It is currently 6 weeks. The longer period at Darlington has been due to a combination of sickness of examiners and cancellation of tests due to bad weather. We shall keep the position under review to ensure that, weather permitting, the recent improvement is maintained.