Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Accepted
The Department and the DVLA have not taken a strategic approach to maintaining and improving...
Recommendation
The Department and the DVLA have not taken a strategic approach to maintaining and improving the infrastructure, estate and processes that the DVLA’s performance depends on. The Department has taken a hands-off approach to the DVLA, failing to ensure that its services are periodically reviewed and improved through timely adoption of modern working practices and up-to- date technology. Consequently, the driving licence application process has become inefficient through outmoded working practices, and it is not resilient to external shocks. We recognise that the DVLA has improved and modernised some of its services, for example paying road tax is now an easy and efficient process for vehicle owners. However, the pandemic exposed weaknesses in some of the DVLA’s other 8 Driving licence backlogs at the DVLA operations. Currently, most staff working on driving licences cannot work remotely because of data security risks and underlying technological challenges, which the DVLA said cannot be easily remedied. The DVLA acknowledges that while almost all its services are digitised, applications for vocational licences and applications involving complex medical decisions are not, and its plans for digitisation will take 10 years. The DVLA argues that it is now a much nimbler organisation after changes introduced during the pandemic, but we are unconvinced that it is ready for any future crises. Recommendation: The Department and the DVLA should work together to set out, by the end of 2023, a strategy for how the DVLA will re-engineer and modernise the driving licence process, over the next 3 to 5 years. Its strategy should address the extent to which its long-term digital transformation plan will make its IT infrastructure adequately resilient and if there is more it could do to enable secure remote working should another crisis occur. Driving licence backlogs at the DVLA 9 1 The DVLA’s customer service
Government Response Summary
The DVLA already has a strategy in place to further develop its digital driver licensing services for driver licensing and, in addition to continuing to improve the accessibility and usability of its online services, the DVLA is also transforming its IT infrastructure.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented The DVLA has been an overwhelmingly digital organisation for many years, with more than 83% of transactions completed online. Motorists have been able to pay their vehicle excise duty online since 2004 and apply for a driving licence digitally since 2006. The DVLA’s online services worked very well throughout the pandemic, with 98% of driving licences issued within three days when the application was made online. The challenge was with paper driving licence applications and drivers’ medical applications, which required staff to physically be on site (a significant challenge during the height of the pandemic, with restrictions sometimes more stringent in Wales) and turnaround of information from medical professionals who had understandably been instructed to deprioritise DVLA work. The DVLA already has a strategy in place to further develop its digital driver licensing services for driver licensing and has invested in new online services and communications to encourage their use. This includes a strategic customer and technology programme which aims to transform how customers transact with the DVLA. This development and promotion of online services prior to and throughout the pandemic has been hugely beneficial as the backlog position would have been much worse without these efforts. Indeed, the delivery of some new digital services was accelerated over the COVID-19 pandemic as part of efforts to reduce backlogs. Treasury Minutes Archive2 Treasury Minutes are the government’s response to reports from the Committee of Public Accounts. Treasury Minutes are Command Papers laid in Parliament. Session 2022-23 Committee Recommendations: 279 Recommendations agreed: 249 (89%) Recommendations disagreed: 30 Publication Date PAC Reports Ref Number July 2022 Government response to PAC reports 1, 3 & 10 CP 722 August 2022 Government response to PAC reports 2, 4-8 CP 708 September 2022 Government response to PAC reports 9, 13-16 CP 745 November 2022 Government response to PAC reports 11, 12, 17 CP 755 December 2022 Government response to PAC reports 18-22 CP 774 January 2023 Government response to PAC reports 23-26 CP 781 February 2023 Government response to PAC reports 27-31 CP 802 March 2023 Government response to PAC reports 32-36 CP 828 May 2023 Government response to PAC reports 37-41 CP 845 Session 2021-22 Committee Recommendations: 362 Recommendations agreed: 333 (92%) Recommendations disagreed: 29 Publication Date PAC Reports Ref Number August 2021 Government response to PAC reports 1-6 CP 510 September 2021 Government response to PAC reports 8-11 CP 520 November 2021 Government response to PAC reports 7,13-16 (and TM2 BBC) CP 550 December 2021 Government response to PAC reports 12, 17-21 CP 583 January 2022 Government response to PAC reports 22-26 CP 603 February 2022 Government response to PAC reports 27-31 CP 631 April 2022 Government response to PAC reports 32-35 CP 649 April 2022 Government response to PAC reports 36-42 CP 667 July 2022 Government response to PAC reports 49-52 CP 722 Session 2019-21 Committee Recommendations: 233 Recommendations agreed: 208 (89%) Recommendations disagreed: 25 Publication Date PAC Reports Ref Number July 2020 Government responses to PAC reports 1-6 CP 270 September 2020 Government responses to PAC reports 7-13 CP 291 November 2020 Government responses to PAC reports 14-17 and 19 CP 316 January 2021 Government responses to PAC reports 18, 20-24 CP 363 February 2021 Government responses to PAC reports 25-29 CP 376 2 List of Treasury Minutes responses for Sessions 2010-15 are annexed in the government’s response to PAC Report 52 Publication Date PAC Reports Ref Number February 2021 Government responses to PAC reports 30-34 CP 389 March 2021 Government responses to PAC reports 35-39 CP 409 April 2021 Government responses to PAC reports 40- 44 CP 420 May 2021 Government responses to PAC reports 45-51 CP 434 June 2021 Government responses to PAC reports 52-56 CP 456 Session 2019 Committee Recommendations: 11 Recommendations agreed: 11 (100%) Recommendations disagreed: 0 Publication Date PAC Reports Ref Number January 2020 Government response to PAC report [112-119] 1 and 2 CP 210 Session 2017-19 Committee Recommendations: 747 Recommendations agreed: 675 (90%) Recommendations disagreed: 72 (10%) Publication Date PAC Reports Ref Number December 2017 Government response to PAC report 1 Cm 9549 January 2018 Government responses to PAC reports 2 and 3 Cm 9565 March 2018 Government responses to PAC reports 4-11 Cm 9575 March 2018 Government responses to PAC reports 12-19 Cm 9596 May 2018 Government responses to PAC reports 20-30 Cm 9618 June 2018 Government responses to PAC reports 31-37 Cm 9643 July 2018 Government responses to PAC reports 38-42 Cm 9667 October 2018 Government responses to PAC reports 43-58 Cm 9702 December 2018 Government responses to PAC reports 59-63 Cm 9740 January 2019 Government r