Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency

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Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
DVLA.svg
DVLA Swansea.jpg
The DVLA in Swansea
Agency overview
Formed1965;59 years ago (1965)
Type Executive agency
JurisdictionUnited Kingdom
Headquarters Swansea, Wales
Employees5,715 [1]
Agency executive
  • Julie Lennard, Chief Executive Officer
Parent agency Department for Transport
Website www.gov.uk/dvla OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA; Welsh : Asiantaeth Trwyddedu Gyrwyr a Cherbydau) is the organisation of the British government responsible for maintaining a database of drivers in Great Britain and a database of vehicles for the entire United Kingdom. Its counterpart for drivers in Northern Ireland is the Driver and Vehicle Agency. The agency issues driving licences, organises collection of vehicle excise duty (also known as road tax [2] and road fund licence) and sells personalised registrations.

Contents

The DVLA is an executive agency of the Department for Transport. The current Chief Executive of the agency is Julie (Karen) Lennard. [3]

The DVLA is based in Swansea, Wales, with a prominent 16-storey building in Clase and offices in Swansea Vale. It was previously known as the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre. The agency previously had a network of 39 offices around Great Britain, known as the Local Office Network, where users could attend to apply for licences and transact other business, but throughout the course of 2013, the local offices were gradually closed down, and all had been closed by December 2013. The agency's work is consequently fully centralised in Swansea, with the majority of users having to transact remotely – by post or (for some transactions) by phone. [4]

DVLA introduced Electronic Vehicle Licensing in 2004, allowing customers to pay vehicle excise duty online and by telephone. [5] However, customers still have the option to tax their vehicles via the Post Office. A seven-year contract enabling the Post Office to continue to process car tax applications was agreed in November 2012, with the option of a three-year extension. [6]

History

Originally, vehicle registration was the responsibility of County Borough and County councils throughout Great Britain, a system created by the Motor Car Act 1903. In 1968 a centralised licensing system was set up at a new Swansea Driver and Vehicle Licensing Centre, taking over licences issued from County/Borough councils. [7] [8] A new purpose built centre was then built on the site of the old Clase Farm on Longview Road, Swansea in 1969. [9]

In April 1990, the Licensing Centre was renamed the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, becoming an executive agency of the Department for Transport. [10]

British Forces Germany civilian vehicles

Civilian vehicles used in Germany by members of British Forces Germany or their families are registered with the DVLA on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Diplomatic and consular vehicles

Official diplomatic and consular vehicles are registered with the DVLA on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

DVLA database

Pre-2012 logo of DVLA DVLA old.svg
Pre-2012 logo of DVLA

The vehicle register held by DVLA is used in many ways. For example, by the DVLA itself to identify untaxed vehicles, and by outside agencies to identify keepers of cars entering central London who have not paid the congestion charge, or who exceed speed limits on a road that has speed cameras by matching the cars to their keepers utilising the DVLA database. The current DVLA vehicle register was built by EDS under a £5 million contract signed in 1996, with a planned implementation date in October 1998, though actual implementation was delayed by a year. It uses a client–server architecture and uses the vehicle identification number, rather than the registration plate, as the primary key to track vehicles, eliminating the possibility of having multiple registrations for a single vehicle.

The Vehicle Identity Check (VIC) was introduced to help reduce vehicle crime. It was intended to deter criminals from disguising stolen cars with the identity of written off or scrapped vehicles, however this scheme was abandoned in October 2015. Under the scheme, when an insurance company wrote off a car it would notify the DVLA. This notification would set a "VIC marker" on the vehicle record on the DVLA database. An identity check might then be required before the vehicle tax could be renewed or before any amendments could be made to the logbook.

DVLA database records are used by commercial vehicle check companies to offer a comprehensive individual car check to prospective purchasers.

However, the accuracy of the data held remains a continuing problem.[ citation needed ] Anyone can request information from the database if they purport to have just cause to need it, for a fee of £2.50. [11]

The database of drivers, developed in the late 1980s, holds details of some 42 million driving licence holders in the UK. It is used to produce driving licences and to assist bodies such as the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, police and courts in the enforcement of legislation concerning driving entitlements and road safety.

The DVLA revealed in December 2012 that it had temporarily banned 294 public bodies, including local councils and police forces, for not using their access to the database correctly between 2006 and 2012. A further 38 bodies were banned permanently during the period. [12]

Between 2002 and 2015 it is estimated the DVLA spent £500 million on information technology from IBM. [13]

Employment

Staff of the DVLA are predominantly female whereas other parts of the Department for Transport are predominantly male. Starting salaries as of 2008 were just over £12,500. [14] In November 2007, a Public Accounts Committee report criticised the "amazingly high" levels of sick leave among staff at the DVLA, where employees took an average of three weeks per year of sick leave. The report said overall sickness leave at the Department for Transport and its seven agencies averaged 10.4 working days per full-time employee in 2005, which they calculated as costing taxpayers £24 million. While sick leave rates at the department itself and four of its agencies were below average, at the DVLA and DSA – which together employ more than 50% of all department staff – they were "significantly higher". Committee chairman Edward Leigh said it was surprising the agencies could "function adequately". [15] In 2008 DVLA staff went on a one-day strike over pay inequality arguing they should receive similar salaries to other employees of the Department for Transport. [14] The most recent level of sickness absence for 2012/13 was 6.7 days. [16]

Controversies

Missing documents

In 2006, 120,000 to 130,000 vehicle registration certificates went missing. A BBC investigation in 2010 found that vehicles worth £13 million had been stolen using the documents in the 18 months preceding the investigation. Around ten cars are found each week to have forged log books and police said it would be decades before they were all recovered. [17]

DVLA letter bombs

On 7 February 2007, a letter bomb was sent to the DVLA in Swansea and injured four people. It is suspected that this is part of a group of letter bombs sent to other organisations that deal with the administration of motoring charges and offences, such as Capita in central London, which was targeted a few days earlier. Miles Cooper, aged 27, a school caretaker, was arrested on 19 February 2007, and charged on 22 February. The DVLA have since installed X-ray machines in all post opening areas to reduce the effectiveness of any further attacks.

Wrong confidential records on surveys

In December 2007, it was revealed that while sending out surveys to 1,215 drivers, the DVLA sent out confidential details, but to the wrong owners. The error occurred during the sending out of routine surveys, and was not discovered until members of the public contacted the DVLA to notify them of the error. [18]

Lost entitlements

In 2009 BBC's Watchdog reported that entitlements, specifically the entitlement to drive a motorcycle, were being lost from reissued driving licences. [19] In 2005 the same programme highlighted drivers who had lost entitlements to drive heavy goods vehicles in a similar way.

Sale of details

In 2010 it was revealed the DVLA had sold drivers' details from the database to certain private parking enforcement companies run by individuals with criminal records. The DVLA sells details to companies for £2.50 per record, but it was found the agency had sold some of these to a business which had been previously fined for unfair business practices. [20]

Complaints resolution

The DVLA handled 12,775 complaints in the year 2015/16, of which it failed to resolve 14.9% at first contact. Overall complaints for that year were down by 6.5%. The DVLA customer service excellence standard was retained. No details were provided on how this was measured. Customer satisfaction levels varied between 76% and 97% in the four categories surveyed; vehicle registration, driver licence renewal, vehicle taxation, driver medical transactions. No data was provided in respect of complaints about the SORN scheme or other fines levied. [21]

Data Processing

On 13 June 2022, the Information Commissioner published an Opinion in which he stated the DVLA had been releasing the details of vehicle keepers to parking companies under the wrong ground. The DVLA had been releasing these under Article 6(1)(c) UK GDPR (legal duty) but the ICO advised the DVLA should have relied on Article 6(1)(e) (public task). The significance of this is that, unlike Article 6(1)(c), Article 6(1)(e) includes a right to object to this processing, as set out in Article 21. However, the Information Commissioner also stated the DVLA can refuse objections under Article 21 because they are processing the information "for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims". [22]

The Information Commissioner's Office's website states: "retrospectively switching lawful basis is likely to be inherently unfair to the individual and lead to breaches of accountability and transparency requirements".

Unacceptable Levels of Service

On 17 March 2023, a report [23] by the Public Accounts Committee was published which was critical of the DVLA. Three million paper applications for driving licences involving fitness to drive resulted in long delays. This resulted in some people losing their jobs; others lost income and became isolated and depressed. This was made worse by difficulties making contact with the DVLA. The committee found that between April 2020 and March 2022 around 60 million calls about driving licences went unanswered, 94% of the total the DVLA receive. [24]

The DVLC in Swansea is regularly referred to in the BBC political sitcom Yes Minister , usually as a remote and unfavourable location. Bernard Woolley is regularly threatened with reassignment there. In the episode "Big Brother", Jim Hacker is scheduled to give an address there.

See also

Related Research Articles

Vehicle Excise Duty is an annual tax levied as an excise duty, and which must be paid for most types of powered vehicles which are to be used or parked on public roads in the United Kingdom. Registered vehicles that are not being used or parked on public roads and which have been taxed since 31 January 1998 must be covered by a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) to avoid VED. In 2016, VED generated approximately £6 billion for the Exchequer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compulsory Basic Training</span> Motorcycle training in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the term Compulsory Basic Training is a preliminary vehicular training course which must be completed by people wishing to ride a motorcycle or moped unaccompanied on the road, and remains valid for 2 years upon completion. It was introduced in Great Britain on 1 December 1990 as a means of reducing accidents on the road caused by inexperienced drivers by reviewing aspects of riding both on and off the road with a qualified motorcycle instructor registered with an Approved Training Body (ATB). If a full car licence was obtained before 1 February 2001 it is not necessary to complete a CBT course to ride a moped.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Large goods vehicle</span> Category of vehicle

A large goods vehicle (LGV), or heavy goods vehicle (HGV), in the European Union (EU) is any lorry with a gross combination mass (GCM) of over 3,500 kg (7,700 lb). Sub-category N2 is used for vehicles between 3,500 kg and 12,000 kg (26,000 lb) and N3 for all goods vehicles over 12,000 kg as defined in Directive 2001/116/EC. The term medium goods vehicle is used within parts of the UK government to refer to goods vehicles of between 3,500 and 7,500 kg which according to the EU are also "large goods vehicles."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Driving Standards Agency</span> Former executive agency in the UK

The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) was an executive agency of the UK Department for Transport (DfT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reliant Robin</span> Three-wheeled car produced by the Reliant Motor Company (1973-2002)

The Reliant Robin is a small three-wheeled car produced by the Reliant Motor Company in Tamworth, England. It was offered in several versions over a period of 30 years. It is the second-most popular fibreglass car in history after the Chevrolet Corvette, with Reliant being the second-biggest British car manufacturer for a time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MOT test</span> Mandatory checkup for UK motor vehicles

The MOT test is an annual test of vehicle safety, roadworthiness aspects and exhaust emissions required in the United Kingdom for most vehicles over three years old. In Northern Ireland the equivalent requirement applies after four years. The requirement does not apply to vehicles used only on various small islands with no convenient connection "to a road in any part of Great Britain"; no similar exemption is listed at the beginning of 2014 for Northern Ireland, which has a single inhabited island, Rathlin. The MOT test was first introduced in 1960 as a few basic tests of a vehicle and now covers twenty different parts or systems on or in the vehicle.

The Police National Computer (PNC) is a database used by law enforcement organisations across the United Kingdom and other non-law enforcement agencies. Originally developed in the early 1970s, PNC1 went 'live' in 1974, providing UK police forces with online access to the lost/stolen vehicle database. The vehicle owners application quickly followed, giving the police online access to the names/addresses of every vehicle owner in the UK.

A vehicle licence is issued by a motor registration authority in a jurisdiction in respect of a particular motor vehicle. A current licence is required for a motor vehicle to be legally permitted to be used or kept on a public road in the jurisdiction. Usually a licence is valid for one year and an annual licence fee is payable before a new one is issued.

The Vehicle register in the United Kingdom is a database of motor vehicles. It is a legal requirement in the UK for most types of motor vehicle to be registered if they are to be used on the public road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional Transport Office</span> Indian government authority

The Regional Transport Office or District Transport Office or Regional Transport Authority (RTO/DTO/RTA) is an office administered by the State Governments constituted under Section 213 (1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 of India and is responsible for implementing the various provisions of this Act. It operates under the Transport Department of the State Government. It is responsible for maintaining a database of drivers and a database of vehicles for various states of India.

The Driver and Vehicle Agency is a government agency of the Department for Infrastructure in Northern Ireland. The agency is responsible for conducting vehicle testing, driver testing and the issuance of driving licences.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Driving licence in the United Kingdom</span>

In the United Kingdom, a driving licence is the official document which authorises its holder to operate motor vehicles on highways and other public roads. It is administered in England, Scotland and Wales by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and in Northern Ireland by the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA). A driving licence is required in England, Scotland, and Wales for any person driving a vehicle on any highway or other "road", as defined in s.192 Road Traffic Act 1988, irrespective of the ownership of the land over which the road passes. Similar requirements apply in Northern Ireland under the Road Traffic Order 1981.

Vehicle registration plates in Northern Ireland use a modified version of the British national registration plate system that was initiated for the whole of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1903. Originally, all counties in the UK were allocated two identification letters. At that time, the whole of Ireland was in the UK, and the letters I and Z were reserved for the Irish counties. The 'I' series was used first, but by the time it came to using the 'Z' series in 1926, the Irish Free State had already come into existence, and so it was agreed that the Northern Ireland would use the AZ – YZ series, while the Free State would use the ZA – ZZ series. In 1987, the Republic of Ireland broke away from the system altogether. As of 2002 there were reportedly 794,477 recorded registration plates in Northern Ireland, compared to only 50 for the island as a whole when the format was first introduced in 1903.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority</span> Ghanaian government agency

Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) of Ghana is the government agency responsible for the licensing and evaluation of drivers and cars in Ghana.

Vehicle registration plates are the alphanumeric plates used to display the registration mark of a vehicle, and have existed in the United Kingdom since 1904. It is compulsory for motor vehicles used on public roads to display vehicle registration plates, with the exception of vehicles of the reigning monarch used on official business.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Driver's license</span> Document allowing one to drive a motorized vehicle

A driver's license, driving licence, or driving permit is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public road. Such licenses are often plastic and the size of a credit card.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency</span> UK Department for Transport Agency

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is an executive agency of the UK Department for Transport (DfT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Glasgow bin lorry crash</span> 2014 fatal incident in Scotland, UK

On 22 December 2014 a bin lorry collided with pedestrians in the city centre of Glasgow, Scotland, killing six and injuring fifteen others. The driver of the council-owned vehicle, Harry Clarke, said he had passed out at the wheel. A similar blackout had happened to him in the driving seat of a bus. He had not disclosed that incident on his heavy goods vehicle licence renewal application, despite such self-reporting being mandatory. Clarke was officially told he would not face further prosecution, causing protests from victims' families at the way the case had been handled.

Driving licence in Turkey is a document issued by the relevant government agency, regional or local security force, confirming the holder is qualified to drive motor vehicles. Driving licence exams are regulated by the Ministry of National Education while the licence is issued by the General Directorate of Security.

References

  1. ↑ "DVLA Annual Report and Accounts 2023-24" (PDF). UK Government. Retrieved 27 December 2024.
  2. ↑ baua. "DVLA Free Car Check – Tax, MOT, Vehicle info". Bauaelectric Auto News. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  3. ↑ "Julie Lennard was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of DVLA in May 2018". DVLA. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.[ permanent dead link ]
  4. ↑ "DVLA local office closure plan announced". DVLA. 21 June 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
  5. ↑ "Freedom of Information Request relating to EVL". dft.gov.uk. Department for Transport. Archived from the original on 18 December 2010. Retrieved 10 January 2011.
  6. ↑ "Post Office wins DVLA contract for car tax supply". BBC News. 13 November 2012. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  7. ↑ "History of road safety, The Highway Code and the driving test". Archived from the original on 22 February 2014.
  8. ↑ "Bill to strike at car licence dodgers" , The Times, no. 57409, Times Digital Archive, 15 November 1968, p. 2, retrieved 20 April 2024
  9. ↑ "20 pictures that tell the story of the DVLA in Swansea". 9 March 2015. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017.
  10. ↑ "History of road safety, The Highway Code and the driving test". Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency. Crown. Retrieved 13 July 2015.
  11. ↑ Oates, John (20 January 2010). "DVLA makes £44m flogging drivers' details". The Register. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
  12. ↑ "DVLA bans councils from database over abuses". BBC News. 8 December 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  13. ↑ "DVLA doubles annual contract spending". Kable. 23 November 2009. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
  14. 1 2 "DVLA strike causes widespread disruption". pcs.org.uk. Archived from the original on 4 June 2009. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
  15. ↑ DVLA sick leave 'amazingly high' BBC News – 20 November 2007
  16. ↑ "DVLA's annual report 2012 to 2013". GOV.UK.
  17. ↑ Kemp, Phil (31 January 2010). "Theft of DVLA log books fuels cars scam". BBC Radio 5 live. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
  18. ↑ "Drivers sent wrong DVLA details". BBC News. 6 December 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2007.
  19. ↑ "DVLA Removing Licence Entitlements". BBC Watchdog. Archived from the original on 3 August 2009. Retrieved 4 June 2010.
  20. ↑ "DVLA sells details to convicted criminal". The Telegraph. 1 April 2012. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  21. ↑ DVLA annual report and accounts 2015-2016
  22. ↑ Jones, Rupert (25 June 2022). "Parking fines: DVLA breached law over sharing drivers' details". The Guardian. London. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  23. ↑ "Lost jobs and income among serious repercussions after major DVLA delays". Public Accounts Committee . UK Parliament. 17 March 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  24. ↑ Dempsey, Jemma; Hooker, Lucy (17 March 2023). "Driving licence delays caused 'lost jobs and money'". BBC News . BBC . Retrieved 19 March 2023.
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