Highland MSP Lodges Parliamentary Question In Relation To DVLA Assessment Centres

3rd March 2016

Highlands & Islands (including Moray) MSP and Scottish (Labour) Spokesperson for Transport, David Stewart, has championed the cause of drivers who have had their licences suspended because of medical reasons and who are having to wait up to seven months before being offered a re- test.

David Stewart said " For the last couple of years now I have been working away on two constituent cases in particular in relation to this issue. The problem is a big one and one that is passing us all by unnoticed. Drivers suffer some form of medical condition that means their licence has to be suspended. They make a full recovery in many cases from the illness, but their plight is far from over. They then have to deal with DVLA."

“In the cases I am directly involved in, there was little or no communication from DVLA, then there were multiple forms to complete and if you managed to persuade them that you were ready for a re- test, with the authority of your Doctor, your plight is still far from over, as you then could wait up to seven months to get an assessment drive.”

“If all this is not bad enough, you eventually get a provisional licence for the day of your test only and you are not permitted to practice before hand as in most cases DVLA will not allow a provisional for this purpose.”

“Whilst all this bureaucracy is on going, many drivers who are self employed, have to watch as their business drifts away from them and they lose it. How can it be in the 21 century that a driver recovers from an often serious illness and then what actually gets them down and affects their mental health is the waiting game and lack of communication from DVLA.”

“I have had discussions with many and written to all sorts of people. More recently Lord Ahmad, Under Secretary of State for Transport, wrote back to me and advised that DVLA were looking at improving practice and procedure and he apologised for the lack of communication in one of my cases. Yes we have to make sure our roads are safe and yes we have to make sure our drivers are fit and proper, but surely there can be a more efficient and effective system?”

“ I really wonder how many people out there are aware that there is only one Assessment Centre in Scotland and it is based in Edinburgh? Further to this, no Scottish driver can go across the border to sit their re- assessment drive if they have a Scottish Address.”

I have lodged a Parliamentary Question today in the Scottish Parliament asking the Scottish Government what they are doing to address the unacceptable waiting list for Assessment Centre drives.”