NASP welcomes the NAO’s report on test waiting times, as it brings into sharp focus the failings of DVSA, and wider Government, in tackling driving test backlogs, as well as highlighting the very real costs of these failures.
The national associations were interviewed as part of this investigation, and we were unflinching in our feedback, highlighting the core issues, the impacts being felt by trainers and pupils on the ground, and offering clear insights into what measures should have been implemented, in a more expedient manner, to try and bring down test waiting times.
We’re pleased to see that NAO has recognised one of the biggest issues is Examiner recruitment and retention. Although DVSA would prefer to focus us all on the impacts of the bots, and other issues with the booking system (especially as this is the one of the few areas where Ministers have announced what they believe to be concrete solutions), the reality is that test resourcing lies at the heart of the backlogs and this can only be resolved by recruiting and deploying more examiners – an area the agency has been particularly challenged in achieving with only 83 new Examiners being recruited against a target of 400 roles, after 19 successive recruitment campaigns.
Equally concerning and frustrating in this report is the £44 million deficit in test fees, with the agency simply not charging enough to cover costs. NASP has been calling for an increase in both the theory and practical tests since before the test waiting times crisis. We believe raising test fees has the potential to increase the value perception of the driving test (and a licence to drive) and make the practical and theory test less of a have-a-go item. Increasing the price of driving tests could also work as a ‘calming’ agent on high test demand (another contributory factor to test backlogs) and stem the rush to book and take tests too soon.
We also welcome today’s announcement of the new CEO at DVSA and hope that they will harness the findings of the NAO report to develop and deliver more effective and expedient strategies to reduce driving test waiting times. We also hope they take more time to really listen to those at the coalface of this crisis, driver trainers who have firsthand experience of the problems and crucial insights into the potential solutions. NASP looks forward to meeting with the new Chief Executive.
However, NASP are also pursuing an arguably more important meeting with the Minister of Transport. DfT has been criticised in the Audit Office report for being slow to react to the problems, and somewhat neglecting DVSA in the early days of the test waiting times issues. As a result, NAO advises the department to review its governance of DVSA. DfT senior leadership showing a willingness to meet with the driver training industry will go a long way in demonstrating real concern for the impacts of the driving test delivery debacle.
