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Motherwell Theory Test Centre to close

Government Communications (NDS)

25 May 2011

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) theory test centre in Motherwell will close on 31 August 2011. The centre will merge with the neighbouring theory test centre in Glasgow.This is due to surplus capacity in the area. Motherwell theory test centre has the capacity to deliver over 25,000 tests each year, but last year conducted fewer than 9,000.DSA chief executive, Rosemary Thew, said: "DSA relies for income on the fees we receive from our customers so we have a duty to spend that money responsibly while maintaining a good level of service. "As the theory test centres in Motherwell and Glasgow both have spare capacity it is not cost effective to keep both centres running." Theory and practical test centres are entirely separate and delivery of the practical test remains unaffected.DSA 16-11 Notes to editors1. DSA promotes 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. 2. DSA is a trading fund with planned income of £195 million in 2011/12, largely funded through fees and revenue from other road safety initiatives. It delivers tests from over 400 practical driving test centres and 158 theory test locations.3. DSA employs around 2,600 staff, of which just over 1,800 are driving examiners. In 2010/11 DSA conducted over 1.8 million practical tests (of which 1.6 million were car tests) and around 1.6 million theory tests. At the end of 2010/2011 there were around 47,000 people on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors.