§ 33. Mr. Peter Walkerasked the Minister of Transport what is the present average delay between applications for driving tests and the time of testing.
§ Mr. SwinglerAbout 14 weeks.
§ 34. Mr. Peter Walkerasked the Minister of Transport how many people were waiting for driving tests at 30th June, 1965.
§ Mr. Swingler562,000.
§ 76. Rear-Admiral Morgan Gilesasked the Minister of Transport how many weeks delay is involved for applicants for driving tests in Winchester at the present time; and what is the average throughout the country.
§ Mr. Tom FraserJust under 17 weeks as against about 14 weeks throughout the country. Arrangements are being made to try to reduce the waiting period in Winchester.
§ 93. Sir B. Jannerasked the Minister of Transport, in view of the fact that there is now a backlog of some 500,000 applications for driving tests, what steps he proposes to take in the near future to effect a reduction in that number.
§ Mr. Tom FraserThe pace of recruitment is being stepped up to fill both current vacancies and additional posts. About 300 new examiners will commence testing during 1965.
§ 61. Mr. Dudley Smithasked the Minister of Transport, in view of the continued high rate of fatal and serious road accidents, if he will introduce measures to make the driving test a better examination of an applicant's suitability for a driving licence.
§ Mr. Tom FraserThe driving test measures ability to drive safely in normal traffic conditions and includes those situations in which accidents most frequently occur. I know of no evidence to suggest that accidents attributable to 117W drivers' errors are due to anything other than a failure subsequently to apply the standards of safe driving required in the test. But research is going on into the reasons for drivers' errors, and if it shows good reasons for changing the test, I will act upon it.