Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a backlog of applications for driving licences at the DVLA; if so, what is the size of that backlog; and when they expect any backlog to be cleared.

The DVLA’s online services have continued to work as normal throughout the pandemic. Drivers are advised to use the online services wherever possible as it is the quickest and easiest way of renewing a licence. Since 23 March the DVLA has issued just over 1.5 million driving licences.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is based predominantly in one building in Swansea. Due to the reduced number of staff on-site at any one time to maintain social distancing, there are delays in dealing with paper applications that have been posted to that office. The number of paper driving licence applications waiting to be processed fluctuates on a daily basis as licences are issued and new applications received.

The DVLA is actively working to process these applications as quickly as possible and has reconfigured its offices to accommodate more operational staff while maintaining the two metre social distancing requirements in Wales.

It is not possible to estimate how long it will take to process these applications.