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❓ Mr. Day inquires about driving license assessment waiting times at metropolitan centers. The Minister provides data for two specific dates, explaining the significant daily variations due to held bookings for emergencies and staff leave, released weekly.

AnsweredQoN 431Legislative Assembly

Asked

13 September 2005

Member

Mr J.H.D. Day

Portfolio

Housing and Works; Heritage; Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure

QuestionView source ↗

For each metropolitan driving licence assessment centre, what is the current minimum waiting time to undertake an assessment?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered

12 October 2005

Responded by

Minister for Housing and Works; Heritage; Minister Assisting the Minister for Planning and Infrastructure

Response time

29 days

I am advised: I thank the Member for his interest in this matter and advise that due to the way in which the Department for Planning and Infrastructure's Licensing assessment booking system operates, the minimum waiting time can vary quite considerably from one day to the next. I have provided waiting times for 13 and 14 September 2005 to demonstrate the wide variation in waiting times that occurs. The figures represent weeks or part thereof at the various licensing centres eg 0.2 equals 2 days of a five-day working week and 9.0 equals 9 weeks. Centre Tuesday 13 September Wednesday 14 September Welshpool 12.6 0.2 Kelmscott 8.2 1.8 City West 11.8 0.8 Joondalup 9.0 6.6 Morley 7.8 0.6 Midland 8.8 0.2 Kalamunda 2.2 2.0 Mundaring 4.2 4.0 Willagee 11.8 0.4 Rockingham 9.4 0.2 Mandurah 0.8 0.2 The variations to lead times reflect the need to hold: ? a small number of bookings each week to allow for emergencies such as senior citizens whose licences are due to expire or for those whose employment prospects are reliant on obtaining a licence or on a licence being granted; ? bookings if staff on annual holiday are not back filled. The majority of these "vacancies" or held bookings are released at close of business on Tuesdays and have the effect of reducing wait times as shown by the difference in lead times for Tuesday 13 September versus those on Wednesday 14 September. In other words, taking Welshpool as an example, when the allocation of the "vacancies" are made each Tuesday night, it means that on the Wednesday (in this instance Wednesday 14 September) if an enquiry for a test was made, the first reallocated vacancy would be only 2 days away. Candidates for driving assessments usually take up these time slots very quickly. Once the time slots are allocated the lead times gradually build up until the following Tuesday when "held" bookings are again released.

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