§ 80. Mr. Fernyhoughasked the Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation (1) if he will state the number of persons who, during the last 12 months, have taken their driving tests in six towns comparable in size to South Shields; and if he will state the percentage of those who have failed;
(2) if he will state the number of persons who have taken their driving test in South Shields district during the last twelve months, to the nearest convenient date, and the number who failed; and if he will express the failures in relation to the whole country as a percentage;
(3) if he will state the number of persons who have taken their driving test throughout the country during the last twelve months, to the nearest convenient date, and the number who have failed, expressed as a percentage.
§ Mr. Harold WatkinsonDuring the twelve months ended 31st March, 1959, 1,260,530 tests were conducted; the percentage of failures was 47. The driving test centre at South Shields was only opened this month, but the number of tests conducted and the percentage of candidates who failed at Gateshead, and at 6 towns comparable in size to South Shields, were as follows:
Number of Tests conducted Percentage of Failures Per cent. Gateshead 6,882 48 Huddersfield 6,092 48 Preston 6,706 48 Walsall 6,286 46 Northampton 6,425 46 York 4,961 46 Halifax 4,671 45