News

The DVLA has scrapped plans to implement an online driving-licence checking system next year due to an estimated budget shortfall of £25m-£30m for the 2009/10 financial year. Scheduled to start in 2010, the online checker has already been trialled by many businesses and would have given operators immediate, secure, 24/7 access to check licence details. Currently, checks can only be made during office hours via phone, mail or fax.

The FTA , RHA and British Vehicle Rental & Leasing Association (BVRLA) are disappointed by the move and are seeking further discussions with the DVLA to get it to renege on its decision. "We have written to the DVLA and we will also be raising our concerns at the next DVLA Industry Liaison Group meeting on 10 June, which the DVLA's finance director has agreed to attend," says BVRLA chief executive John Lewis.

"This is the third important project that our members have seen cancelled," adds Lewis, referring to the cancellation in 2007 of the Tracking Vehicles Through The Trade (TV3T) and Electronic Licensing For Fleets (ELF) projects, which would have reduced the red-tape burden for business and produced estimated cost savings of £5m per year.

Joan Williams,  FTA head of road freight policy, says: "We agree that government agencies have to look at their costs, but there's a difference between not developing new services and abandoning something that has already had so much time and money spent on it."

"The DVLA tells us it will cost an additional £10m to finish the project, but you need to look at what's best value, particularly as it has already been trialled by a number of operators," adds Williams. The FTA is currently awaiting a response from the DVLA on how much has already been invested in the project.

Jack Semple, RHA director of policy, says: "The government is clearly trying to stick to budget and reduce spending where it can, but the online licence checking system is an important contribution to road-safety compliance and would be a quicker and more progressive way of checking licences than the current system."

In its 2009/10 Business Plan, the DVLA blames its budget deficit on a fall of nearly one-third in vehicle registrations and says it has "put on hold a number of IT projects that can be delayed without immediate impact". It tells MT it is working with stakeholders on other opportunities for delivering the service.

(Photo Credit: Photo by Times Newspapers / Rex Features)