Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential implications for its policies of the average time taken by Transport for London to process and issue private hire vehicle driver licences.

The Department for Transport is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which local licensing authorities in England license the taxi and private hire vehicle trades but ultimately the licensing process is left at the discretion of local authorities. We work closely with Transport for London on a range of issues but the operation of private hire driver licensing is a matter solely for them and it would not be appropriate for ministers to comment or intervene.