Driving Tests: Barrow in Furness
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency expects Barrow driving test centre to reach its full staffing capacity; and when that centre was last operating at full capacity.
Answered by Simon Lightwood
Following the recent qualification of a new driving examiner (DE), there are now three full time equivalent DEs conducting tests at Barrow-in- Furness driving test centre (DTC).
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is satisfied that the current number of DEs at Barrow-in-Furness DTC is sufficient to service demand. A full-time DE can be expected to add approximately 1,200 tests per year to the booking system.
There are currently no further plans to recruit additional DEs at this centre. However, DVSA continually reviews its recruitment needs to ensure the agency maintains the right level of resource to meet customer demand.
The average waiting time (based on the national average waiting time metric of when a minimum of 10% of test slots are available) for Barrow-In-Furness, in May 2026, was 12 weeks. The national average was 21.8 weeks
As of 15 June 2026, there are 522 car practical driving tests booked and 389 available at Barrow-In-Furness.
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