Since April 2020 around three million customers who applied for a driving licence experienced delays, and complaints about the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) have greatly increased.
MP’s on the Public Accounts Committee received submissions from people who described losing their jobs or income and being unable to start or return to work because of the delays.
Others had difficulty arranging motor insurance or were unable to hire a vehicle or drive abroad. Of the nearly 40 submissions received three quarters were from customers with medical conditions requiring the DVLA to decide on their fitness to drive.
Some DVLA customers experienced isolation and worsening mental health when unable to go about their usual daily lives without a valid driving licence.
This state of affairs persisted for around two years despite the DVLA changing the law to postpone driving licence renewals, investing in new buildings and additional staff, and making more services available online. Customers’ poor experiences were exacerbated by huge difficulty contacting the DVLA during the pandemic.
The DVLA’s system to process applications from customers with medical conditions is slow, inefficient and in need of major improvement. These customers and those applying by post have been badly affected by the delays, but almost all of the 17 million customers without notifiable medical conditions had their applications processed within three working days.
The PAC says the Department for Transport (DfT) has taken a hands-off approach and failed to ensure DVLA is using modern working practices and up-to-date technology.
Dame Meg Hillier MP, Chair of the Committee, said:
“The pandemic inevitably made operations more difficult, but the DVLA and DfT were not prepared for the challenge of keeping essential driving licence services running and especially not for those who needed it most.
Some of the DVLA’s operations are antiquated, it lacks a comprehensive strategy for modernisation and on PAC we’re unconvinced they’re more ready for the next crisis. When that does arise it will again be the most vulnerable customers – people for whom driving is a lifeline – who are worst hit. That’s just not acceptable. The DVLA has to get its act together.”
A DVLA spokesperson said:
“We are back to normal processing times across our services. All standard paper applications were back to normal turnaround times by May 2022.
“Our online services worked well throughout the pandemic and for the vast majority of our customers, their dealings with DVLA would have been trouble free. 98% of people who applied online received their driving licence within just a few days.
“During the pandemic, we issued more than 24million driving licences, the vast majority of which were issued within 3 working days.”
