§ Mr. Maclennanasked the Secretary of State for Transport what is the average waiting time for driving tests in the Highland region of Scotland; if he will list the comparable figures for each of the last seven years; and what proposals he has to increase the number of examiners in the region.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyThe Highland region of Scotland is served by two permanent test centres at Inverness and Wick. The wating times at these in April this year and the preceding six years (those for 1979 and earlier are no longer avaialble) were as follows:
Inverness (weeks) Wick (weeks) 1980 25 20 1981 22 18 1982 11 6 1983 5 5 1984 5 4 1985 13 8 1986 17 19 There are no plans to increase the number of examiners in the Highland region, but we are trying to recruit 11 more examiners for Scotland as a whole. The traffic area aims to keep waiting times at all centres throughout Scotland as even as possible. The Highland region ought therefore to benefit from the general improvement this further recruitment will produce.