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DVSA confirms new theory venues
The new addresses of several theory test
centres have now been confirmed.
As part of the roll out of DVSA’s new
theory test service, the locations of many
theory test centres are changing, with a
number of new centres to open. The
seven new theory test centre venues are:
Region A (Scotland and the North)
The new test centre in Crianlarich is
at: Ground Floor, Crianlarich Village Hall,
Main Street, Crianlarich, FK20 8QN.
Elgin: Ground Floor, 147 High Street,
Elgin, Morayshire, IV30 1DS
Galashiels: Main Hall, Hope Central, 1-3
Overhaugh Street, Galashiels, TD1 1DL.
Oban: The Oak Room, The Rockfield
Centre, Linndhu House, 19 Stevenson
Street, Oban, PA34 5NA
Penrith: Ground Floor, Main Hall,
Friends Meeting House, Meeting House
Lane, Penrith, CA11 7TR.
Scarborough: 49 Westborough,
Scarborough, YO11 1UN
Stirling: Suite 2, Part of Unit 1, Ground
Floor, Lomond Court, Castle Business
Park, Stirling, FK9 4TU
Region C (East Midlands and South East)
Boston: Ground Floor, 17a Wide
Bargate, Boston, PE21 6SR.
Chelmsford: Suite 4, Second Floor,
Saxon House, 27 Duke Street,
Chelmsford, CM1 1HT.
Ilford: Pioneer Point, 3-5 Winston Way,
Ilford, IG1 2FS
Ipswich: Suite 1, Second Floor, Hubbard
House, 6 Civic Drive, Ipswich, IP1 2QA
Southgate: Unit RU3, Tally Ho Corner
High Road, London, N12 0BP
Southwark: Second Floor (South),
Manor House, 224-236 Walworth Road,
Walworth, SE17 1JE.
Watford: Unit 3, Orient Centre,
Greycaine Road, WD24 7GP
These new centres open on 6
September and tests can be booked at
GOV.UK. If your pupils need a test before
this date they can find other theory test
centres in their local area by looking on
the ‘find your nearest’ theory test page.
Consultation launched as NHS trusts look
to take over ambulance driver testing
The DVSA has launched a consultation to
see whether the driving training and
testing sector would back NHS Trusts
conducting their own driving tests for
ambulance drivers.
Currently, all ambulance driver testing is
performed by DVSA examiners. However,
some organisations are already allowed to
conduct driving tests for their own staff,
including the Ministry of Defence (MoD)
and police and fire services, under a
scheme known as ‘delegated testing’.
The current consultation would look at
extending delegated testing arrangements
to NHS ambulance services and
foundation trusts. It is also about allowing
the services to conduct driving tests for
one another, which we call ‘cross-testing’.
The DVSA says it has been thinking of
making this change for some time, which
suggests the timing is not directly linked
to the current high waiting times for car
L-tests which have led to proposals to
switch B+E licence examiners to car
testing, and potentially scrap these tests
altogether (see pg 6 and from pg 10).
The DVSA said in a statement that it
had been “our intention to make these
changes for some time. This is because
some police and fire services have told us
that they would like to co-operate in the
way that they go about driver training and
testing. More recently, the MoD has also
expressed an interest in this idea.”
It also stated that the coronavirus
pandemic “reinforced our view and gave
urgency to the need for delegated testing
to be available to NHS ambulance
services.”
“Although DVSA was able to provide
tests for ambulance drivers and
paramedics during the national lockdowns
(for England, Scotland, and Wales), the
proposal would have provided good
options and additional resilience.”
This consultation seeks your views on
these proposals. It applies to Great
Britain, but not to Northern Ireland as
driver testing there is not run by DVSA. It
includes questions about the possible
impacts on road safety and how the NHS
and emergency services might adjust their
approach to driver testing if these changes
are made.
The consultation is being conducted in
line with the government’s consultation
principles.
If you have any comments about the
consultation process email consultation@
dft.gsi.gov.uk.
To read the consultation in full, click the
panel below.
Click here for
the full story
New proposals
would see NHS
Trusts test their
own ambulance
drivers and work
more closely with
other services such
as the police and
the MoD
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NEWSLINK n AUGUST 2021