Carmichael calls for DVSA head to visit Northern Isles amid continued testing frustrations

Speaking in the House, Mr Carmichael said:

“If the minister were to go online and book a place in my constituency today, he would find that in Shetland the earliest date is 18 weeks away and in Orkney there are no test dates available. That is quite apart from the continued lack of availability of off-road motorcycle testing.

“The history of the DVSA in Shetland and Orkney – Shetland in particular – in recent years has been frankly pitiful. So when it comes to her next performance appraisal interview, I wonder if the minister might prevail upon the Chief Executive of the DVSA to find a day or two to come north and see for herself the effect that her stewardship has had on our communities?”

Responding for the government, Richard Holden MP said:

“My understanding is that the average waiting time in Shetland is indeed 18 weeks, but I believe in Orkney the waiting time is significantly less than that. I don’t know what the source of the discrepancy between us is, so I will write to him about that.”

He added:

“We have made big progress in recent years with over 300,000 new slots available since the pandemic. Waiting lists are coming down and we hope to return to pre-pandemic levels in the coming months.”

Reacting after the exchange, Mr Carmichael said:

“If national agencies are to have an idea of the needs of the communities they serve, it might help for them to see these communities for themselves. It will always be easier for testing in cities to take priority by default – the DVSA needs to take a more proactive interest to make sure that the isles do not continue to slide down the pecking order.”