§ 18. Mr. Kennedyasked the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on current average waiting times for driving tests.
§ Mrs. ChalkerThe current average wait for an L test in Great Britain is 18½ weeks. In Scotland the figure is 19 weeks. This is chiefly the result of higher than forecast demand and the loss of tests last winter which markedly reduced the benefit from the substantial recruitment of examiners since 1984. Even so waiting periods in many places, including northern Scotland, are now coming down. But this is not enough. My Department is therefore further accelerating recruitment and training procedures for new examiners so far as possible and acting to maximise productivity in order to bring about a General sustained reduction in waiting periods. I am monitoring progress closely.