Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure private parking companies undertake land ownership checks before submitting data requests to the DVLA and issuing parking tickets on private land.

Landowners are responsible for deciding the terms and conditions that apply for parking on their land and the terms of their contracts with private parking companies.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) only discloses data to parking companies that are members of an accredited trade association and signed up to a code of practice that promotes fair treatment of motorists. The DVLA is notified of any issues of non-compliance with the code as needed.

The DVLA carries out both remote and on-site audits in conjunction with the Government Internal Audit Agency. These audits help to ensure that data is used only in accordance with strict contractual terms. Failure to comply can result in a parking company’s suspension from eligibility to request vehicle keeper data.