Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has taken steps to address the delays to licenses being reinstated after a medical revocation by the DVLA, and the impact the current delays are having on individuals waiting for their licenses to be reinstated.

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 customer demand and to offer a better service, the DVLA is updating its Drivers Medical function and has launched a new casework system which will deliver significant improvements for drivers with medical conditions.

The DVLA also launched a new digital medical services portal for customers in March, which covers around 1600 medical conditions. This service has recently been enhanced allowing more drivers to apply online, including those renewing their licence at the age of 70, those applying for a provisional licence and those whose licences were previously surrendered a revoked.

These enhancements, alongside the recruitment of additional staff to deal with these applications, will deliver real improvements in services and turnaround times for customers.