Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many medical driving licence applications have been awaiting a decision for more than six months.

In 2025/26, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency issued 12.3 million driving licences and made more than 750,000 medical licensing decisions. The current number of medical driving licence applications that have been awaiting a licensing decision for six months or more is 55,142.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has seen sustained growth in the volume and complexity of driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated before a licence can be issued. The length of time taken to deal with an application often depends on the condition(s) involved and whether further information is required from third parties, for example doctors or other healthcare professionals, before a licence can be issued.

To keep up with growing demand and to offer a better service, the DVLA has launched a new casework system and a new digital medical services portal. This new online service allows the majority of people to apply online via the DVLA’s driver and vehicles account.

These changes will help the DVLA to process applications more quickly. Further enhancements for people applying for a provisional licence and those renewing at the age of 70 or over will be made later this summer.