§ Mr. Damian GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much the Driving Standards Agency has spent on consultancy fees in each financial year since 1997. [171963]
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§ Mr. JamiesonIn each financial year since 1997, the Driving Standards Agency has spent the following on consultancy fees:
£ 1997–98 586,000 1998–99 749,000 1999–2000 1,105,000 2000–01 751,000 2001–02 1,201,000 2002–03 1,128,000 2003–04 11,338,000 1Currently subject to audit.
§ Mr. Damian GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many staff were employed by the Driving Standards Agency to handle test booking enquiries, broken down by the number of staff dealing with(a) telephone inquiries and (b) internet inquiries in the last year. [171964]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Driving Standards Agency employs 166 permanent staff in two call centres to deal with practical test bookings and telephone inquiries. Some 100 employment agency staff are also currently employed to ensure that sufficient resource is available to meet the demand. One member of staff has dealt with internet inquiries since the introduction of the practical test internet booking facility in October 2003.
§ Mr. Damian GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much money the Driving Standards Agency received from Transport for London under its contract to test Hackney Carriage black cabs within London. [171969]
§ Mr. JamiesonThe Driving Standards Agency does not receive money from Transport for London under the contract for testing applicants for a hackney carriage licence. Instead, applicants pay the Agency directly for tests that they take. In 2003–04, the Agency conducted 847 tests at a cost of £55.30 a test, resulting in total revenue of £46,839.