Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reason the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency requires postal orders as the sole means of payment for trade plate applications.

There are no Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) services for which only a postal order is accepted as payment. Trade licensing applications can also be paid for by cheque. The DVLA is currently developing improvements to its trade licensing service and this includes exploring the introduction of alternative payment methods.

The DVLA offers nearly 50 main customer facing services, with the majority of these being available online with a range of payment options. Only seven transactions currently require a manual payment by either postal order or cheque.