Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 18
18
Acknowledged
At the onset of the pandemic, the DVLA sought to make paper driving licence services...
Conclusion
At the onset of the pandemic, the DVLA sought to make paper driving licence services more resilient. The NAO reported that the DVLA decided to find additional office space in April 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales had just started.37 The DVLA has since invested in new buildings and additional staff, and made more services available online. In 2020, it made changes to the law to postpone driving licence renewals, but the Department told us that it decided on road safety grounds to limit this legal extension to licenses that expired over an 11-month period, leading to a spike in renewals in 2021.38 The Department told us that although the DVLA had contingency plans, they did not anticipate and plan for the combined impact of industrial action and the COVID-19 pandemic continuing into 2021.39 33 Qq 11, 14, 18–20 34 Q 20; C&AG’s Report, para 16 35 Q 23 36 Qq 22, 35–36, 41–42 37 Q 20; C&AG’s Report para 3.6 38 Qq 19–20, 25–31; C&AG’s Report, paras 22, 24–25 39 Qq 20–22 14 Driving licence backlogs at the DVLA
Government Response Summary
The government highlights that online services worked well, but the challenge was with paper driving licence applications and drivers’ medical applications.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
6.3 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.