Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency
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Consultation on Driving Standards Agency fees 2009
The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) today issued a consultation paper on the proposed fee structure for driving tests in 2009/10, as outlined in its Business Plan in April.
The DSA plans to introduce the new fees for tests booked on or after 30 March 2009, following a review of its forecast operational costs for 2009/10.
Chief Executive Rosemary Thew, said:
"The Driving Standards Agency has to cover its costs in providing driving and riding tests to learners throughout the country.
"We are already planning to make efficiency savings of £6m this year and plan further savings in 2009/10, but to make sure we continue to offer an excellent service the fees we charge must recover our operational costs."
Under the proposals the theory tests for learner drivers and motorcycle riders would be £31.00 and the practical car test £63.50. The fee for the practical motorcycle test would remain unchanged.
Anyone wishing to comment on the proposed revised fees must do so by 18 January 2009. The consultation paper is available at: http://www.dsa.gov.uk/Category.asp?cat=592
Ends
For more information contact please call DSA press office on 0115 936 6133.
Notes to Editors:
Main fee proposals
Fees for learner drivers
test existing proposed
fee fee
theory tests taken by learner £30.00 £31.00
car drivers and motorcycle/moped riders
practical tests taken by £56.50 £63.50
learner car drivers
practical vocational and car £105.00 £119.00
plus trailer tests Fees relating to the ADI scheme
test existing proposed
fee fee
theory test taken as part of £80.00 £90.00
the ADI qualification process
practical tests taken as part £99.00 £111.00
of the ADI qualification process
ADI Trainee Licences £125.00 £140.00
Charges relating to non-statutory services
test existing proposed
fee fee
taxi and private hire car £69.00* £78.00* tests
practical tests taken as part of the qualification process for
the non-statutory instructor registration schemes operated by DSA
* LGV Voluntary Register
* Fleet Driver Trainer Register £123.38* £139.83 £131.60*
* Register of Post Test £116.33* £111.63 Motorcycle
Trainers £98.70* Pass plus products
* starter pack £35.00* £37.00*
* refill £28.00* £29.00*
* Charges marked [*] inclusive of VAT
No fee increases are included for practical motorcycle tests, as these were increased in September this year.
1. The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) is an executive agency * of the Department for Transport.
2. The DSA's vision is "Safe Driving for Life" with an overall mission to contribute towards a Government target of achieving a 40% reduction in riders and drivers killed or seriously injured in road accidents, in the age group up to 24 years, by 2010.
3. Current information on road casualties is available from the Department for Transport website: http://www.dft.gov.uk
4. The Agency's aim is to promote road safety through setting standards for drivers, riders and trainers, testing drivers and riders fairly and efficiently, maintaining the registers of Approved Driving Instructors; Large Goods Vehicle Instructors; Fleet Trainers; Driving Instructor Trainers and Post Test Motorcycle Trainers; supervising Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) for learner motorcyclists; and driver education and the provision of learning resources.
5. DSA is a trading fund * with an expected turnover of around £199 million for the year 2008/9, fully funded by fee income and revenue from its activities.
6. DSA employs over 2,700 staff, of which some 2,000 are driving examiners based at over 400 test centres across mainland Great Britain. In 2007/2008 the Agency conducted 1.8 million practical tests for car drivers, over 95,000 vocational tests and 94,000 motorcycle rider tests. A total of 1.7 million theory tests were carried out at 158 centres. At the end of the year there were around 43,600 people on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors.
7. DSA was one of the first Government Agencies to introduce an online booking service. Candidates can book and manage their theory and practical test appointments on line at http://www.direct.gov.uk/drivingtest
* Executive agency:
An executive agency is semi-detached from its parent department and manages its own budget with freedom from ad hoc, day to day intervention and much of central, government-wide regulation. They are run under the organisation and direction of a Chief Executive recruited through open competition. An executive agency has accountability for the performance of specific operational tasks as a corporate unit, including focused performance targets set by the parent department and personal accountability of the chief executive for performance.
* Trading Fund:
A trading fund is a means of financing trading activities undertaken by Government that would previously have been financed by annual appropriation from Parliament. A trading fund permits the establishment of a self-accounting unit that remains under the control and management of Ministers and accountable to Parliament through Ministers, but has greater freedom to manage its financial affairs. Effectively that means the trading fund body can use its income to settle its liabilities and retain year-end cash balances.
Establishing the trading fund does not alter the Agency's constitutional position and it remains part of the Department for Transport.
