Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to publicise the ending of the paper counterpart to driving licences; and what arrangements are in place to support drivers who do not have access to a computer to access information about their penalty points.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) used media, online channels, direct mail and advertising to inform people about the abolition of the paper counterpart to the driving licence. The DVLA also engaged with trade organisations, vehicle hire companies and wrote directly to 640,000 professional bus and lorry drivers. Information has been sent to around a million drivers each month since February with driving licence renewal reminders. Awareness of the change amongst the public is now over 84%.

The DVLA has a dedicated local rate telephone service in place for drivers who do not have access to the online service. This service is available Monday to Friday from 8am to 7pm and Saturday from 8am to 2pm. Since the paper counterpart was abolished in June 2015, more than 154,000 drivers have used the telephone service. During the same period the online service has been used 1.4m times.