Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help tackle the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s delays in dealing with applications arising from working from home, industrial action and recent increases in demand.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing staff who are working from home are mainly from support areas. These staff are fully productive and are not contributing to delays. Staff working from home is in line with Welsh Government guidance and allows the DVLA to maximise office space for operational staff processing paper applications as these roles cannot be carried out remotely.

The quickest and easiest way to make an application to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is by using its extensive suite of online services. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their documents within a few days.

However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application. The DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day and industrial action by members of the Public and Commercial Services union has led to delays for customers. The DVLA has also been working with a significantly reduced number of staff on site to ensure social distancing in line with Welsh Government requirements.

The DVLA has introduced additional online services and is urgently securing extra office space to house more staff. This will help reduce waiting times while providing future resilience and business continuity.

The DVLA understands the impact that delays can have on people’s everyday lives and is working to process paper applications as quickly as possible.