Recommendation 23

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