at our training and development centre in Cardington.
I can assure you there is no conflict of interest with the provision of B+E training. The Highways Agency is part of the Department for Transport the same we are; therefore, it is not subject to a commercial contract.
To further ensure there is no conflict of interest, the B+E test is conducted by an examiner who has had no involvement with the training of the same candidate.
Yours sincerely
Melanie Young
Corporate Correspondence
So from the email that was received they need extra time to answer his freedom of information request with regards to costs involved in providing the training. From my response they say there is no commercial contract between two agencies within the Department of Transport. So how are the DSA being paid for their time?
The DSA’s only source of income is either from driving test fees and Approved Driving Instructors registration fees (they do sell a few books and CD’s). So the question is asked are these fees set artificially high to allow the DSA to carry out free work for other government agencies.
A member of another of the National Associations made this comment which I believe is quite apt.
Actually, we do have a conflict of interest, which is this.
Why are the DSA misappropriating fee paying candidate’s money doing work for nothing for another government agency?
This unpaid work they are doing has NO CONNECTION to learner drivers, but those are the people who work for £4 per hour in Mc Donalds who are funding the wages of the people doing the testing and examining of Highways Agency Staff.
This is a VERY CLEAR CASE OF MISAPPROPRIATION OF FUNDS.
Further correspondence;
19 December 2012