§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Transport what were the numbers of examiners and vacancies for examiners for driving licences in Grimsby as compared with other places of similar size.
§ Mr. HoramThe complement at Grimsby driving centre was raised to one senior driving examiner and five driving examiners in October 1978. Currently there are two vacancies. One is to be filled by transferring one examiner from another centre and the second post is about to be offered to a new recruit.
Demand is the sole criteria for deciding on the complement at a driving test centre. Comparison with other centres is therefore difficult. The situation at Grimsby is very little different to many other centres throughout the country for which the Department is currently recruiting to bring examining staffs up to strength.
§ Mr. Austin Mitchellasked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the average waiting time for driving tests in Grimsby compared with sample city areas, places of similar size and sample rural areas.
§ Mr. HoramTwenty-five weeks. The comparisons asked for are as follows:
Sample city areas: Cardiff 28 weeks Coventry 27 weeks Glasgow 23 weeks Places of similar size: Exeter 30 weeks Gateshead 19 weeks Paisley 25 weeks Sample centres catering primarily for rural areas: Bodmin 31 weeks Elgin 27 weeks King's Lynn 21 weeks