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Summary of Selected Cases

DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT, TRANSPORT AND THE REGIONS

3. Case No. C.664/00

Retention of a valid driving licence for excessive periods

Mr A must re-apply for his driving licence annually so that enquiries can be completed into a medical condition before the licence is renewed. The Ombudsman upheld a complaint from Mr A that it was unreasonable for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to hold his current driving licence for what amounted to approximately a quarter of its period of validity while they conducted their medical enquiries, which for the last three years had been delayed significantly in excess of their five week customer service standard because of heavy workloads. Although Mr A was licensed to drive while his application for a new licence was pending, he would have been put to the additional trouble of obtaining confirmation of his driving entitlement from DVLA if he had wished to hire cars or drive abroad during those periods. DVLA offered to change their procedure so that in future short term medical renewal licence applicants would be able to opt to retain their current licence if it had less than three months to run. They also apologised to Mr A for the delays and the inconvenience caused, and for an error during his most recent licence application.

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