Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of delays to taxi and private hire licence renewals caused by difficulties in obtaining medical assessments to Group 2 standards; whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on improving access to GP appointments for the purposes of licence medicals; what guidance is issued to licensing authorities on handling delays arising from medical assessments; and what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the average time taken for medical-related licensing decisions involving the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Medical suitability to hold a taxi or private hire vehicle driver licence is a matter for licensing authorities not the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

The Department for Transport’s guidance to licensing authorities in England on the medical suitability of drivers is that they should seek the same information to inform their decision as required by the DVLA for category C and D licences (Group 2) required for an entitlement to driver lorries (category C) and for buses (category D). All initial category C and D licence applications require a medical assessment by a registered medical practitioner - recorded on the D4 form, this does not need to be the applicant’s GP. It is suggested in the Department’s guidance to licensing authorities that that the DVLA’s medical examination report (D4) is used as a template to gather relevant information.

The guidance is clear that it is the responsibility of licensing authorities to assess the medical information they receive and decide whether a taxi or private hire vehicle licence should be issued.