Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the covid-19 outbreak at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), whether the DVLA commissioned consultants to draft a report on covid-19 and workplace safety.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has thoroughly reviewed its processes and systems, with advice from a range of external experts, to understand further opportunities for working remotely. Consultants were commissioned but this review heavily focused on process automation for the longer term, and was not about Covid 19 and workplace safety at the DVLA.

The safety of staff is the top priority for the Department for Transport and the DVLA. Extensive safety measures have been put in place across the DVLA’s sites, in accordance with, and sometimes going beyond, all relevant Welsh government advice. These include enhanced cleaning, social distancing and leasing an additional building, which is now in use. The DVLA continues to work closely with the local environmental health team and Public Health Wales.