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Agenda item
ALTERNATIVE PROCESS FOR ONLINE CHECKING OF DVLA DRIVER LICENCES IN RELATION TO DRIVERS OF HACKNEY CARRIAGE AND PRIVATE HIRE VEHICLES
Minutes:
The Licensing Manager presented the report,
which set out proposals to amend the process for checking DVLA driving licence
information and the associated condition of licence for Hackney Carriage /
Private Hire Vehicle Drivers.
Members were advised of the current process
where the Authority carries out online checking of existing licensed drivers
and new applicants’ licences via the Driver Licence Check (DLC) service, in
order to ensure suitability to hold Hackney Carriage / Private Hire Vehicle
Driver’s licences in line with current policies and requirements. However, it was explained that due to the
withdrawal of the DLC system by the DVLA (effective 1st December 2018), an
alternative method of verifying suitability and driving fitness was needed.
The Licensing Manager explained that some
local authorities have entered into agreements with a third party provider,
which require similar mandates to that of the DLC being signed and costs passed
on to applicants. As a result of exploration
by the Council to seek an alternative cost-free solution, the report proposed
that future checks be made using the free online ‘View or share your driving
licence information’ service which can be accessed via the GOV.UK
website. This means that from December
2018 new and existing applicants would be required to share a one off generated
code for the Licensing Authority to check their driver status without
charge. The code can be generated by
applicants ahead of their appointment or during the actual appointment to apply
for or renew a vehicle driver licence.
Officers will be able to offer this IT assistance to prospective
applicants or existing drivers if needed.
It was noted that
a letter had been sent to the taxi trade informing them of the reason for the
change and inviting any comments on the proposal. In general, the trade were receptive to the
proposal due to the lack of cost being incurred by its applicants/drivers, and
therefore no adverse comments had been received in this regard.
The Committee were
advised that should they be minded to agree to the proposal, then the Hackney
Carriage / Private Hire Vehicle Driver’s conditions of licence and Policy would
need to be amended to reflect the change, namely in respect of Condition
3. The extract from the Policy showing
the existing condition, together with the proposed revised Condition 3, was set
out at Appendix A of the report.
During the course of the ensuing
debate, Officers provided clarification on the use of the GOV.UK free on-line
checking system and gave assurances as to the uniqueness, security, and ease of
use of the system. A Member asked why
the Council were withdrawing the £5.00 charge previously levied to applicants
when completing the DLC mandate, and expressed a need to maintain this revenue
stream given the level of budget savings required by the Authority. Officers explained that this nominal charge
is being withdrawn as the new system is a free national service, which
eliminates the administration costs encountered by the Licensing Section under
the DLC system.
A Member queried why some other local
authorities had entered into third-party agreements instead of taking up the
free service. It was explained that each
authority is adopting the process that best meets their individual
requirements, and that in addition to Caerphilly Council, many other local
authorities have chosen to take up the free online service as the preferred
option for driver licence checks.
It was noted that the existing licence
renewal letter to drivers would be revised to set out instructions relating to
the on-line checking service. In
response to a Member’s query, it was confirmed that any driving offences
incurred after the online check is conducted must be reported to the Licensing
Section.
Following
consideration of the report, it was moved and seconded that the following
recommendations be approved. By a show
of hands, this was unanimously agreed.
RESOLVED
that:-
(i) the
use of the free online ‘View or share your driving licence information’ service
in place of the current Driver Licence Check (DLC) system be implemented with
effect from 1st December 2018;
(ii) the current Hackney Carriage/Private
Hire Vehicle Driver’s condition of licence and policy be amended as set out in
Appendix A of the report to accommodate the above change.
The meeting closed at 10.42 a.m.
Supporting documents: