Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many refunds of vehicle excise duty were awarded (a) less than four weeks,(b) between four and six weeks and (c) more than six weeks after the original claim being made.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) does not hold information in this way.

Since 1 October 2014, vehicle excise duty (VED) automatically ends when the DVLA receives notification that a vehicle has been sold to a new keeper or the motor trade. VED also ends when DVLA is notified that a Statutory Off Road Notification has been made or a vehicle has been stolen, exported or scrapped. When the DVLA record is updated with one of these qualifying events, a refund is usually generated automatically to the registered keeper. This can take longer in a small number of cases where further enquiries by the DVLA are necessary or the vehicle keeper is asked to provide additional information.