HC Deb 11 March 1992 vol 205 cc543-4W
Mr. Thornton

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide details about the launch of the Government's "next steps" agency for administering the vehicle inspection and driving test centres in Northern Ireland.

Mr. Brooke

The Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency will be formally established on 1 April 1992.

The key performance targets set for the agency for 1992–93 are:

  • Throughput of drivers tested (per person per day)
  • Target—7.;6 tests per person per day.
  • Throughput of vehicles tested (per person per day)
  • Target—15.75 vehicle tests per person per day.
  • Waiting time for driver testing
  • Target—80 per cent. to be tested by 8 weeks; 100 per cent. by 10 weeks.
  • Waiting time for vehicle testing
  • Target—80 per cent. to be tested within 4 weeks; 100 per cent. within 5 weeks.
  • Error rates (percentage of faulty inspections)
  • Target—faulty inspections will not exceed 0.5 per cent. of tests conducted.
  • Unit cost of driver of vehicle tests
  • Target—composite unit cost £16.16.
  • Level of complaints
  • Target—complaints about booking arrangements should be less than 1 per cent. of applications received; complaints about the conduct of tests should be less than 1 per cent. of tests conducted.
  • Customer satisfaction levels
  • Target—Greater than 92 per cent. satisfaction with booking arrangements; Greater than 96 per cent. satisfaction with testing procedures.

A copy of the framework document setting out the terms within which the agency will operate will be placed in the Library shortly.