The Transport Committee is launching an inquiry into the user experience of the Government’s motoring agencies.

The purpose of this inquiry is to look closely at the experience motorists, fleets, hauliers, bus companies and others have when interacting with the Government's various motoring agencies and to make recommendations for improvements.

The Committee is particularly interested in how the Government provides the following services:

  • Driver licences
  • Vehicle registration
  • Administration of vehicle excise duty and Statutory Off Road Notifications
  • Driver testing
  • Vehicle testing
  • Licensing of public service vehicles and heavy goods vehicles
  • The authorisation of motor vehicles, systems and components

These services are currently provided by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), the Driving Standards Agency (DSA), the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) and the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA). 

The DSA and VOSA are in the process of being merged to form a new Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) from April 2014.

The Committee would like to know:

  • Can these services be accessed when and where they are needed, including by people who do not use digital channels?
  • Are these services affordable and do they provide value for money?
  • Is personal or otherwise sensitive data handled appropriately?
  • How has outsourcing of service delivery affected users?
  • When things go wrong, are problems dealt with quickly and fairly?
  • How are users affected by the way in which Government agencies are structured to provide these services? What are the pros and cons for users of changing the current structure?
  • How are the needs of service users prioritised, particularly during periods of change?

Louise Ellman, chair of the House of Commons Transport Committee said: “There are a number of changes being made to the Government’s motoring agencies, including the merger of DSA and VOSA and increased reliance on websites and email for delivering services.

“We want to hear what users think about the way these services are provided, so that we can make recommendations for improvement.”

The deadline for written submissions is Monday, February 24.
Written submissions for this inquiry should be sent via the Transport Committee inquiry page.

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