London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 16, 2025

Three million driving licence delays since April 2020, MPs' report finds

Three million driving licence delays since April 2020, MPs' report finds

Around 60 million phone calls about driving licences to the DVLA went unanswered over two years during the pandemic - 94% of the total received.

Three million people have experienced driving licence delays since April 2020 - costing some their jobs, income and independence, a report by MPs has found.

The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's (DVLA) system to process applications is "slow, inefficient and in need of major improvement", the cross-party Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said.

People described losing their jobs or income and being unable to start or return to work because of the delays, those who gave evidence to the committee said.

Drivers with medical conditions were affected the most, they said.

The committee said the pandemic "inevitably" had an impact, with three million suffering delays since the month after COVID first hit.

About 60 million phone calls went unanswered over two years, it added.

The Department for Transport (DfT) was accused of taking a "hands-off approach" by failing to ensure the DVLA is using modern working practices and up-to-date technology.

Labour MP Dame Meg Hillier, chair of the committee, said: "The pandemic inevitably made operations more difficult, but the DVLA and DfT were not prepared for the challenge of keeping essential driving licence services running - and especially not for those who needed it most.

"Some of the DVLA's operations are antiquated, it lacks a comprehensive strategy for modernisation and on PAC we're unconvinced they're more ready for the next crisis.

"When that does arise, it will again be the most vulnerable customers - people for whom driving is a lifeline - who are worst hit. That's just not acceptable. The DVLA has to get its act together."

Some people lost out on jobs and income due to the delays


The committee said some DVLA customers experienced isolation and worsening mental health as they were unable to go about their daily lives without a valid driving licence.

Between April 2020 and March 2022, about 60 million calls to the DVLA about driving licences went unanswered - 94% of the total it received.

Complaints about the DVLA received through MPs "increased tenfold" between 2019-20 and 2021-22, the report said.

The PAC recommended the DVLA set up better systems for delays, improve its customer communication and implement a contingency plan to be shared with the committee.

Liberal Democrat transport spokeswoman Wera Hobhouse said the "shocking delays" show customers "are being let down on an industrial scale".

She called on the government and the DVLA to "get a grip" as delays can "lead to people losing their jobs or worsening mental health".

A DVLA spokesman said: "We are back to normal processing times across our services. All standard paper applications were back to normal turnaround times by May 2022.

"Our online services worked well throughout the pandemic and for the vast majority of our customers, their dealings with DVLA would have been trouble free. 98% of people who applied online received their driving licence within just a few days.

"During the pandemic, we issued more than 24 million driving licences, the vast majority of which were issued within three working days."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
Mayor in western Germany in intensive care after stabbing
Australian government pays Deloitte nearly half a million dollars for a report built on fabricated quotes, fake citations, and AI-generated nonsense.
US Prosecutors Gained Legal Approval to Hack Telegram Servers
Macron Faces Intensifying Pressure to Resign or Trigger New Elections Amid France’s Political Turmoil
Standard Chartered Names Roberto Hoornweg as Sole Head of Corporate & Investment Banking
UK Asylum Housing Firm Faces Backlash Over £187 Million Profits and Poor Living Conditions
UK Police Crack Major Gang in Smuggling of up to 40,000 Stolen Phones to China
BYD’s UK Sales Soar Nearly Nine-Fold, Making Britain Its Biggest Market Outside China
Trump Proposes Farm Bailout from Tariff Revenues Amid Backlash from Other Industries
FIFA Accuses Malaysia of Forging Citizenship Documents, Suspends Seven Footballers
Latvia to Bar Tourist and Occasional Buses to Russia and Belarus Until 2026
A Dollar Coin Featuring Trump’s Portrait Expected to Be Issued Next Year
Australia Orders X to Block Murder Videos, Citing Online Safety and Public Exposure
Three Scientists Awarded Nobel Prize in Medicine for Discovery of Immune Self-Tolerance Mechanism
OpenAI and AMD Forge Landmark AI-Chip Alliance with Equity Option
×