Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) retaining and (b) expanding the (i) FORS and (ii) Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency earned recognition scheme.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) Earned Recognition is a voluntary, and free to join, compliance scheme. It helps lorry and bus operators demonstrate that they consistently meet the driver and vehicle standards required as a condition of their Operator’s licence. The Agency monitors performance data shared by operators making the scheme a market leader across businesses and local authorities.

The Earned Recognition scheme will continue to expand to support the growth of the most compliant operators across the industry. This strategy supports the DVSA to identify and deal with law breakers ensuring the cost of non-compliance is always greater than the cost of compliance.

The Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) is a commercially available accreditation scheme administered through Sopra Steria Limited, and not managed or maintained by the Government.