Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has of the scale of (a) backlogs and (b) processing delays within the Drivers and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA)’s online services are the quickest and easiest way to make an application. 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 and the DVLA receives 60,000 items of mail every day. The latest information on turnaround times for paper applications can be found here.

The DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has secured extra office space in Swansea and Birmingham to help reduce waiting times while providing future resilience and business continuity.

These measures are having a positive impact. In particular, the focus on vocational driving licence applications to support dealing with the HGV driver shortage has been successful with routine vocational applications now back to normal turnaround times. Backlogs are also reducing in other areas.