Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether there is a time frame in which the DVLA must (a) respond and (b) take action after the reporting of untaxed or abandoned vehicles on public roads.

There is no specific timescale within which the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) must respond or take action after receiving a report of a potentially unlicensed vehicle.

The DVLA has an online service for members of the public to notify possibly unlicensed vehicles. A report of notifications received via this service is sent weekly to the DVLA’s national wheel clamping contractor. The licensing status of any vehicles listed in the report will be checked, and appropriate action taken if they are seen on the public road.

The DVLA’s database also automatically recognises when a vehicle is non-compliant and highlights this so that enforcement action can be taken. Often action is under way that may not be immediately visible to the public.

The DVLA is not responsible for the removal of abandoned vehicles. Local authorities are able to do so using powers contained in the Cleaner Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2006. Alternatively, the police can remove any vehicle that is causing an obstruction, is likely to cause danger, or is broken down or abandoned without lawful authority.