The costs of the Multi-Purpose Test Centres project were originally estimated at £60 million; the latest version of the business case shows that they have reduced to £55 million.
A total of 68 Multi-Purpose Test Centres (MPTCs) are planned throughout England, Wales and Scotland. To date, sites have been acquired for seven new MPTCs at Shrewsbury, Newport, East Lothian, Gloucester, Ipswich, Upminster and Swansea.
Nineteen sites are forecast to become operational before 31 March 2007. None of the new test centres has yet opened, but the centre at Quedgeley in Gloucester will become operational during September 2006.
All the remaining sites are planned to be operational by October 2008. This will meet the implementation date of the European Community Directive 2000/56/EC.
The following table shows the number of driving test appointments kept and cancelled by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) for the last five years, for each DSA region and nationally. We do not hold records of volumes of tests cancelled at test centre level or those cancelled by customers.
Applications Cancelled Kept 2001-02 Nationally 1,504,892 21,469 1,483,423 London 359,256 7,018 352,238 Midlands 396,310 6,307 390,003 Wales 264,601 3,215 261,386 Northern 365,006 3,964 361,042 Scotland 120,042 965 119,077 2002-03 Nationally 1,633,249 32,404 1,600,845 London 375,495 5,783 369,712 Midlands 436,990 14,211 422,779 Wales 295,995 4,371 291,624 Northern 396,944 6,811 390,133 Scotland 127,825 1,228 126,597 2003-04 Nationally 1,483,423 56,222 1,427,201 London 352,238 12,134 340,104 Midlands 390,003 21,461 368,542 Wales 261,386 7,116 254,270 Northern 361,042 13,826 347,216 Scotland 119,077 1,685 117,392 2004-05 Nationally 2,019,042 50,921 1,968,121 London 449,034 20,390 428,644 Midlands 546,874 13,411 533,463 Wales 362,470 5,261 357,209 Northern 518,532 11,144 507,388 Scotland 142,132 715 141,417 2005-06 Nationally 2,184,289 43,391 2,140,898 London 490,474 18,733 471,741 Midlands 585,842 10,233 575,609 Wales 399,346 6,441 392,905 Northern 548,673 6,737 541,936 Scotland 159,954 1,247 158,707
All test types are included, except for 2003-04 and 2005-06 when Approved Driving Instructor qualifying tests are excluded. This is because DSA’s targets for keeping appointments did not distinguish between test types in the other years.
During the year 2005-06, the average compensation payment made by the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) for cancelling a car test was about £35. The total paid in compensation was some £311,000.
Department for Transport Ministers have frequent meetings with Driving Standards Agency officials, as with officials from other parts of the Department, to discuss a range of issues.
In advance of the introduction of the hazard perception test the Department commissioned extensive research, including the following:
1998—The effects of hazard perception training on the development of novice driver skills. DETR Road Safety Research Report No. 4.
2000—Novice drivers’ safety. DETR Road Safety Research Series No.2.
2002—The development of hazard perception testing. TRL Report TRL558.
Copies of the two DETR reports have been placed in the Libraries of the House. All reports are available from the DfT website (www.dt.gov.uk).
The Department is currently conducting further research which will evaluate the effectiveness of the hazard perception test.