Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to respond to the correspondence dated 3 November 2023 from the hon. Member for Glasgow Central on the DVLA and identity documents, reference ZA33642.
Answered by Guy Opperman
A response to your letter was sent on 1 February. Apologies are given on behalf of the DfT for the delay in responding.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the (a) adequacy of the size of and (b) challenges faced by the PCV driver workforce.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
No formal assessment has been carried out. However, the Department engages regularly with operators through representative groups such as the Confederation for Passenger Transport and the Association of Local Bus Managers to understand the challenges that the sector is facing, including workforce related issues.
The PCV driver workforce plays a vital role in delivering essential public services and has faced a number of challenges over the pandemic. My officials have been working with the representative groups to ensure that where issues have emerged they are addressed as effectively as possible, including in areas such as testing and licensing.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to mitigate delays in processing the medical approvals that permit PCV drivers to return to work.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day which must be dealt with in person. Ongoing industrial action by members of the Public and Commercial Services union, along with fewer operational staff on site to allow for social distancing in line with Welsh Government requirements and an increased demand for its services has led to delays in dealing with paper applications. The DVLA has leased an additional building to accommodate more operational staff.
Currently, driving licence applications made on paper are likely to take six to ten weeks to process. There may be additional delays in processing more complex transactions, for example, if medical investigations are needed.
The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found here.
The DVLA has reconfigured its accommodation to safely maximise the number of staff on site and is working hard to process applications as quickly as possible. The DVLA has accelerated the development of additional online services to reduce the number of paper applications and supported their take up through a publicity campaign. Further digital service enhancements are underway.
Asked by: Alison Thewliss (Scottish National Party - Glasgow Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to mitigate delays in issuing provisional PCV licences.
Answered by Baroness Maclean of Redditch
The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day which must be dealt with in person. Ongoing industrial action by members of the Public and Commercial Services union, along with fewer operational staff on site to allow for social distancing in line with Welsh Government requirements and an increased demand for its services has led to delays in dealing with paper applications. The DVLA has leased an additional building to accommodate more operational staff.
Currently, driving licence applications made on paper are likely to take six to ten weeks to process. There may be additional delays in processing more complex transactions, for example, if medical investigations are needed.
The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found here.
The DVLA has reconfigured its accommodation to safely maximise the number of staff on site and is working hard to process applications as quickly as possible. The DVLA has accelerated the development of additional online services to reduce the number of paper applications and supported their take up through a publicity campaign. Further digital service enhancements are underway.