Current status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 14 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Department for Transport regarding working collaboratively with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) to address the reported backlog of people waiting to sit practical driving tests across Scotland.
Driving testing is a fully reserved matter to the UK Government but it is clear the consequences of years of delays and backlogs have been acutely experienced in Scotland. The previous UK Government undertook a consultation in early 2023 proposing changes, which have taken until December 2024 to implement.
On 18 December 2024, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) announced a 7-point plan to reduce driving test waiting times, which includes recruiting 450 driving examiners in Great Britain. As this is a reserved matter, the Scottish Government has had no input into the development of this plan. The DVSA did agree to meet with Transport Scotland officials in November 2024 but then cancelled these meetings.
Transport Scotland officials are currently seeking a meeting with DVSA to discuss the plan and to understand what implications there may be for Scotland.