Driving Licences: Health
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the process for reapplying for a driving licence following its revocation due to a medical condition.
Answered by Simon Lightwood
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) has seen sustained growth in the volume and complexity of driving licence applications where a medical condition must be investigated before a licence can be issued. The length of time taken to process these applications often depends on the condition(s) involved and whether further information is required from third parties, for example doctors or other healthcare professionals.
To keep up with growing customer demand and to offer a better service, the DVLA is updating its Drivers Medical function and has launched a new casework system and a new digital medical services portal. This new online service covers around 1,600 medical conditions and allows the majority of customers to apply online via the DVLA’s driver and vehicles account. Further enhancements for customers applying for a provisional licence and those renewing at the age of 70 or over will be made later this summer.
These enhancements are already helping the DVLA to process applications more quickly. The DVLA encourages customers to use the online service wherever possible to help speed up processing times.
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