Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to support people whose driving license expires whilst waiting for the DVLA to process their application for a renewal when this impacts their employment.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) sends renewal reminders to drivers before their current licence is due to expire to prompt renewal applications to be made as early as possible.

Where the DVLA is made aware that a driving licence is required urgently for employment purposes the application will be processed as a priority. Most applicants will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed, providing they meet certain criteria as outlined in this guidance at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/inf1886-can-i-drive-while-my-application-is-with-dvla.

There are no delays in straightforward driving licence applications regardless of whether the driver was previously disqualified. These are being processed within normal turnaround times.

Driving licence applications where a medical condition(s) requires investigation can take longer as the DVLA is often reliant on information from third parties, including medical professionals, before a licence can be issued.

DVLA is continuing to make improvements to the services provided to drivers with medical conditions and is introducing a new strategic system to process cases. This will provide better services for customers and allow straightforward applications to be processed more quickly.

In the 2024/25 financial year, the average time to make a licensing decision in such cases was 44 working days, a significant reduction from 54 working days in the 2023/24 financial year.