5
Recommendation
Forty-first Report - Driving licence ba…
Deferred
The DVLA’s system to process applications from customers who have notified it of relevant medical conditions is slow, inefficient and in need of major improvement. Processing times for applications that involve the DVLA making a medical decision are far longer than for other applications, with many decisions taking a year …
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The DVLA’s system to process applications from customers who have notified it of relevant medical conditions is slow, inefficient and in need of major improvement. Processing times for applications that involve the DVLA making a medical decision are far longer than for other applications, with many decisions taking a year or more. At the time we took evidence in November, the DVLA expected to clear its remaining backlog of such applications by January 2023, returning to meeting its target of processing at least 90% of these applications within 90 working days. But in our view even 90 working days is too long for customers to wait. Customers experiencing problems after notifying the DVLA of medical conditions have been the main source of complaints to the DVLA since 2018–19, and we are concerned that the DVLA’s poor service discriminates against its more vulnerable customers. The Department acknowledges that the legislative framework for medical licensing has not been reviewed for decades. The DVLA’s decisions often require information from GPs and other medical professionals, which is requested and returned using paper documentation. The DVLA intends to introduce modern, digital communications to speed up information exchange with the health sector but given the technical challenges involved, it is not yet clear to us when and how it will do this. Recommendations: a) The DVLA should in its Treasury Minute confirm that it has resolved the backlog in applications from drivers with notifiable medical conditions as expected, and if not, why it has not and when it will do so. b) By the end of 2024 at the latest, the Department should complete a strategic review of the system to process applications from driving licence customers who have notified it of relevant medical conditions, encompassing both the legislative framework and process management. It should set out its timetable for the review in the Treasury Minute. It should work with the Department of Health and Socia
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Government response AI summary
Ministers will shortly be considering proposals for action and the department will update the Committee in its subsequent letter, setting out those actions together with a more complete timeline.
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HM Treasury
22
Conclusion
Forty-first Report - Driving licence ba…
Deferred
The Department commented that the current legislative framework of medical licensing has not been looked at for a very long time and raised the question of whether it was still fit for purpose. Many factors have changed since the legislation was introduced, notably the general population is now older and …
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The Department commented that the current legislative framework of medical licensing has not been looked at for a very long time and raised the question of whether it was still fit for purpose. Many factors have changed since the legislation was introduced, notably the general population is now older and there is a significantly higher number of over-70s continuing to drive than when the current legislation was introduced.45
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Government response AI summary
The government disagrees with the recommendation to review the legislative framework of medical licensing, stating that Ministers will need to decide whether and how any strategic review or alternative action is undertaken and will update the Committee in its subsequent letter.
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HM Treasury
23
Conclusion
Forty-first Report - Driving licence ba…
Deferred
We also heard that the DVLA’s decisions often require information from GPs and other medical professionals, which is requested and returned using paper documentation. 40 Q 47; Letter from DVLA to PAC dated 8 December; Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency, DVLA annual report and accounts 2019 to 2020, HC 441, …
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We also heard that the DVLA’s decisions often require information from GPs and other medical professionals, which is requested and returned using paper documentation. 40 Q 47; Letter from DVLA to PAC dated 8 December; Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency, DVLA annual report and accounts 2019 to 2020, HC 441, July 2020, page 93 (viewed on 6 December 2022); Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency, DVLA annual report and accounts 2021 to 2022, HC 590, July 2022, page 91 (viewed on 6 December 2022) 41 Qq 85–87, 91, 107; C&AG’s Report, para 15, para 2.10, Figure 7 42 C&AG’s Report, para 2.18, Figure 10 43 Qq 56–57 44 Qq 85, 87, 89–90 45 Q 52 Driving licence backlogs at the DVLA 15 This process is not covered by the GP contract with the NHS and the DVLA pays GPs for each response.46 Some applications that customers start online but which require a medical decision require postal correspondence between the DVLA and doctors, further slowing the process. The DVLA wrote to us after the evidence session to report that as of 2 December 2022, around 60% of applications in progress involving a medical licensing decision were waiting for information to be supplied by a third party, such as NHS doctors and consultants, hospital teams or the drivers themselves. The DVLA told us it is exploring how it could introduce modern, digital communications to speed up information exchange with the health sector. We heard that the DVLA has talked to the NHS about the idea but that finding a solution was difficult and building digital links will be technically challenging.47 The Department for Transport’s strategic management of the driving licence system
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Government response AI summary
The department is currently unable to agree to this recommendation as Ministers will need to decide whether and how any strategic review or alternative action is undertaken, and will update the Committee in its subsequent letter, setting out those actions together with a more complete …
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HM Treasury