To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment her Department has made of the reasons for variations in pass rates between driving test centres; and if she will make a statement. (180500)

The Driving Standards Agency has identified that the following factors are influences on practical test pass rates:

The age/gender of the test candidate—in general, younger candidates have a higher pass rate, and males have a higher pass rate than females.

The socio economic background of the test candidate—likely to be linked to more money available to invest in driving lessons and greater opportunities for private driving practice, such as access to a family vehicle etc.

The prevalence of these factors varies between individual test centres, resulting in pass rate variances.