Overview
- Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said 36 Ministry of Defence examiners will conduct civilian tests one day a week for 12 months, with the DVSA paying about £100,000.
- New legislation will allow only individual learners to book tests, banning instructors and third-party sites after reports of bots reselling £62–£75 slots for up to £500.
- Learners will be limited to two changes to a booked test and will only be able to move the appointment to a nearby centre.
- Examiners will receive a £5,000 retention payment next year, as 316 recruits have produced a net workforce increase of only about 40 due to departures.
- Average waits are around 21.8–22 weeks with 642,000 bookings on the system, while 182,000 tests were conducted last month, up 9% year on year.