Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, a) what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of delays in the processing of taxi and private hire driver licence renewals by licensing authorities, including Transport for London, on drivers; b) what estimate she has made of the number of drivers who were unable to work due to licensing delays in (i) 2024, (ii) 2025 and (iii) 2026 to date; c) what assessment she has made of the potential impact of these delays on the income of affected drivers; and d) whether her Department has issued guidance to licensing authorities on maximum processing times for licence renewals.

The administration of the taxi and private hire vehicle licensing regime is a matter for licensing authorities. The Department does not collect data on the processing times of licence applications but expects authorities to administer the system efficiently, including the processing of all applications when they have the necessary information.

The Department’s best practice guidance to licensing authorities in England makes clear that taxi and private hire vehicle licensing is a statutory function, and it is important for authorities to consider how best to deliver this service in a timely and efficient manner.