29-524: The Driving Standards Agency ( DSA ) was an executive agency of the UK Department for Transport (DfT). DSA promoted road safety in Great Britain by improving driving and motorcycling standards. It set standards for education and training, as well as carrying out theory and practical driving and riding tests. The responsibilities of DSA only covered Great Britain. In Northern Ireland
58-643: A Potential Driving Instructor (PDI), as well as existing ADIs who applied to extend their registration or re-register, to have a criminal record check. DSA used the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) to obtain criminal record checks of people in England and Wales, and Disclosure Scotland for people in Scotland. Some ADIs choose to take additional qualifications so that they can train drivers of large goods vehicles, or fleet drivers. The DSA also held
87-475: A book, CD-ROM or interactive download), The Official DSA Complete Theory Test Kit (CD-ROM and DVD pack) and The Official DSA Guide to Driving – the essential skills (available as a book or downloadable PDF). The full range of titles is available from The Stationery Office online bookshop. The last increases prior to July 2005 were: Sources: http://www.dft.gov.uk/dsa/PressRelease.asp?id=4206 http://www.dft.gov.uk/dsa/PressRelease.asp?id=145 The DSA held
116-450: A car, moped or motorcycle, a provisional driving licence must be obtained. If a driver already holds a valid full driving licence but wishes to drive larger vehicles, minibuses or buses, provisional entitlement for these categories of vehicle is required. For those holding a provisional licence, taking the theory test is the next step before acquiring a full licence. For cars and motorcycles candidates are asked 50 questions in 57 minutes and
145-482: A driving school or being self-employed. It is a condition of remaining on the register that all ADIs undergo a periodic "test of continued ability of fitness to give instruction" also known as the 'check test'. The passage of the Road Safety Act 2006 empowered DSA to set the standards on all paid tuition, not just that of motor cars as was previously the case. The DSA required people who applied to register as
174-586: A register of Approved Driving Instructors (ADIs) in Great Britain. The ADI Registrar also issues trainee licences to give instruction. In order to qualify as an ADI, three tests must be passed: All three parts of the examination must be passed in this order, and must be completed within two years of passing the theory test (part one). After being entered on the ADI register, ADIs are free to give driving instruction for money or monies worth, either working for
203-438: A turnover of over £184 million in 2009-10 mainly funded through fees and revenue from other road safety initiatives. The DSA's mission and primary aim was to continually promote road safety by influencing driver and rider behaviour, which it did through: The DSA employed 1,789 practical driving examiners, and 728 administrative staff and managers. It planned to employ a total of 2,769 staff by March 2011, dependent on trading and
232-475: A voluntary register for fleet drivers, Compulsory Basic Trainers (for motorcycles), Large Goods Vehicle instructors and the Register of post-test motorcycle trainers. These registers provided quality standards for the relevant discipline, but were not necessary for paid tuition. Following consultation, Ministers decided to proceed with a programme of measures, based on education and incentivisation, to strengthen
261-559: Is a British publishing company created in 1996 when the publishing arm of His Majesty's Stationery Office was privatised . It is the official publisher and the distributor for legislation , command and house papers, select committee reports, Hansard , and the London , Edinburgh and Belfast Gazettes, the UK government 's three official journals of record. With more than 9,000 titles in print and digital formats published every year, it
290-716: Is a part of a government department that is treated as managerially and budgetarily separate, to carry out some part of the executive functions of the United Kingdom government , Scottish Government , Welsh Government or Northern Ireland Executive . Executive agencies are "machinery of government" devices distinct both from non-ministerial government departments and non-departmental public bodies (or " quangos "), each of which enjoy legal and constitutional separation from ministerial control. The model has been applied in several other countries. Agencies include well-known organisations such as His Majesty's Prison Service and
319-408: Is now £31, and the practical car test is £62 if taken on weekdays or £75 if taken at weekends or weekday evenings. To help candidates fully prepare for their theory and practical driving and motorcycle tests, The Stationery Office (TSO), DSA's official publishing partner, produces a range of best-selling official publications. These include The Official DSA Theory Test for Car Drivers (available as
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#1732772918487348-458: Is one of the UK's largest publishers by volume. TSO provides services, consultancy, and infrastructure to deliver all aspects of the information lifecycle. TSO developed the website legislation.gov.uk with The National Archives , providing full access to the statute book as open data . The TSO OpenUp platform is a collection of integrated services available as software as a service (SaaS), with
377-629: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency . The annual budget for each agency, allocated by HM Treasury , ranges from a few million pounds for the smallest agencies to £700m for the Court Service . Virtually all government departments have at least one agency. The initial success or otherwise of executive agencies was examined in the Sir Angus Fraser's Fraser Report of 1991. Its main goal was to identify what good practices had emerged from
406-947: The GOV.UK website on 15 November 2012. DSA announced the launch of its own video sharing channel on YouTube on 22 September 2009. The channel – youtube.com/dsagov – was used to post road safety videos which offer advice to test candidates and other road users. The DSA also operated a Twitter channel - twitter.com/dsagovuk and a Facebook page - facebook.com/dsagovuk . Executive agency King Charles III [REDACTED] William, Prince of Wales [REDACTED] Charles III ( King-in-Council ) [REDACTED] Starmer ministry ( L ) Keir Starmer ( L ) Angela Rayner ( L ) ( King-in-Parliament ) [REDACTED] Charles III [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Lord Reed The Lord Hodge Andrew Bailey Monetary Policy Committee An executive agency
435-479: The United Kingdom. By 1997, 76% of civil servants were employed by an agency. The new Labour government in its first such report – the 1998 Next Steps Report – endorsed the model introduced by its predecessor. A later review (in 2002, linked below) made two central conclusions (their emphasis): " The agency model has been a success . Since 1988 agencies have transformed the landscape of government and
464-709: The United States, the Clinton administration imported the model under the name "performance-based organizations." In Canada, executive agencies were adopted on a limited basis under the name special operating agencies . One example is the Translation Bureau under Public Services and Procurement Canada . Executive agencies were also established in Australia, Jamaica, Japan and Tanzania. The Stationery Office The Stationery Office ( TSO )
493-423: The aim of providing a scalable and resilient platform that allows organisations to store, query, and enrich their data. The Stationery Office was sold for £54 million when it was privatised in 1996. Two thirds of TSO was purchased by Electra Fleming, an investment trust co-owned by Electra Investment and the investment bank Robert Fleming & Company . Three executives of TSO purchased large stakes in
522-435: The business: Rupert Pennant-Rea purchased a 4.5 per cent stake, Bob Thian a 6 per cent stake, and Richard Martin 3 per cent stake. In 1999, Electra Fleming sold TSO to its existing management team and Apax , a private equity firm, for £82 million. Rupert Pennant-Rea remained as chairman, and Fred Perkins stayed as chief executive. TSO was sold in 2006 to business process outsourcing company Williams Lea , of which
551-457: The chief executive and appropriate directors, oversaw the development and effective management of the DSA's investment plan of change projects and programmes, and met monthly. The operational performance group, which also met monthly, was chaired by the operations director and attended by senior managers, and monitored performance against targets and business plan objectives. Before learning to drive
580-477: The government freeze on recruitment. The chief executive was accountable to the Secretary of State for ensuring that the DSA met its obligations and delivered its targets and services. The chief executive had overall responsibility for the DSA's activities, ensuring it met its financial obligations, and providing assurance of a sound system of internal control. The Director General of Motoring and Freight Services
609-407: The new model and spread them to other agencies and departments. The report also recommended further powers be devolved from ministers to chief executives. A series of reports and white papers examining governmental delivery were published throughout the 1990s, under both Conservative and Labour governments. During these the agency model became the standard model for delivering public services in
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#1732772918487638-444: The pass mark is 43 out of 50. For lorries and buses, there are 100 questions in 115 minutes and the pass mark is 85 out of 100. The hazard perception test is the second part of the driving theory test. Both parts must be passed in order to pass the theory test. If successful, one can then apply to take the practical driving test. The practical test starts with an eyesight check and some vehicle safety questions. The driving part of
667-421: The responsive and effectiveness of services delivered by Government." Some agencies have, however, become disconnected from their departments ... The gulf between policy and delivery is considered by most to have widened." The latter point is usually made more forcefully by critics of the government, describing agencies as "unaccountable quangos ". Several other countries have an executive agency model. In
696-537: The same role was carried out by the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA). It was announced on 20 June 2013 that DSA would merge with the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency into a single agency in 2014. The name of the new agency was confirmed as the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) on 28 November 2013. The DSA was abolished on 31 March 2014, and the DVSA took over its responsibilities on 1 April 2014. The DSA
725-414: The test lasts about 40 minutes, and involves performing some specific manoeuvres as well as demonstrating an overall safe standard of driving. A candidate may make up to 15 minor driving faults but still pass the test (16 or more results in failure). However, if one serious or dangerous fault is committed, then the test is failed. The current pass rate for car 'L' tests is 43%. The cost of the theory test
754-409: The way that people learn to drive and are tested, and encourage a culture of lifelong learning. DSA planned a phased implementation programme, supporting progressive improvements whilst avoiding disruption to those currently learning to drive. Early improvements were: DSA moved its information about learning to drive and ride to Directgov and its information for businesses to Business Link . This
783-577: Was a national organisation with headquarters in Nottingham , training and learning materials centre at Cardington in Bedfordshire and administrative centres in Cardiff and Newcastle . DSA employed around 2,400 staff around Great Britain and ran tests from around 400 practical driving test centres. Theory tests were carried out at around 150 theory test centres. DSA was a Trading Fund with
812-599: Was part of the Transformational Government strategy. Its corporate information, which included how the agency was run, consultations, and press releases, was moved to the Department for Transport website. All DSA's information about learning to drive and ride and for businesses moved to the single government website GOV.UK on 17 October 2012. DSA became one of the first central government organisations to move its corporate and policy content onto
841-513: Was the additional accounting officer. The chief executive was supported by an executive board, including two non-executive directors. The executive board's role was to provide support and advice, and met monthly. A separate audit and risk management committee, comprising non-executive directors, acted independently of the executive board to provide assurance to the chief executive on financial and non-financial matters, including corporate governance and risk management. The change board, attended by
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