Question
I am not certain that the Minister is right when he says that the DVLA is getting better. Its operating surplus is forecast to collapse by 54%. The DVLA is spending £96 million a year on postage and printing, despite a plan to move 85% of transactions online. The DVLA has committed to delivering £5 million in efficiency savings, yet expenditure is forecast to increase by £59 million in the same year. As my hon. Friend the Member for Hinckley and Bosworth (Dr Evans) said, the position on medical licensing is out of control. The answer to a written parliamentary question from August revealed that the average time for a bus and lorry driver to get a decision is still an unacceptably high 64.8 days. Can the Minister come back with a detailed plan on how his Department is going to get a grip on what can only be described as a failing Government agency?
Answer
Well, if the agency was failing, then that was the condition we found it in when the hon. Member’s party left office. I am not entirely sure what he is complaining about. He is saying that we are spending more money on the agency, but that is to increase the number of staff, to improve automation and digital services take-up, and to make the service more efficient. There is a plan and it is working—the hon. Member should support it.50% point-scoring
Verdict: AMBER (40/100)
The reply confirms that a plan exists and names some measures it relies on, such as more staff, greater automation and digital take-up, and efficiency gains. However, it does not set out the plan in the detail the question requested. Someone reading it would still lack the specifics needed to understand how the plan works, so they would likely need to ask again.
How we got there
| Question item | Coverage | Specificity | Rationale |
|---|---|---|---|
| Will the Minister provide a detailed plan setting out how the Department will improve the performance of the DVLA. | Partially Addressed | Direct | The reply asserts that a plan exists and is working, and names concrete mechanisms for improving the agency (more staff, greater automation and digital take-up, efficiency gains), but it does not set out the plan in the detail the question requested. |