The UK government has launched an independent review of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
The body’s current responsibilities include maintaining the correct registration and licensing of UK drivers while protecting data and combatting vehicle tax evasion.
The DVLA collects £7bn in vehicle excise duty (VED) annually on behalf of HM Treasury and is a net contributor to government finances.
Four pillars have been established by the Cabinet Office to assess the current functionality of the DVLA: efficiency, efficacy, accountability and governance.
Janette Beinart, non-executive director of the Cabinet Office and National Highways and previous vice president and global chief information officer at Shell International, has been appointed to lead the review, which is expected to be finished by the end of the year.
Her review will be supported by officials from the Department for Transport (DfT).
Richard Holden, roads minister, said: “DVLA plays a crucial role in making sure drivers and vehicles can get around legally, safely and with confidence, giving drivers peace of mind by storing their records safely and tackling vehicle tax evasion.
“With over 80% of all transactions now being carried out online, this review will help us understand how the DVLA can continue to grow from strength to strength and how we can support it to become more digital to efficiently serve the increasingly digitally savvy driver.”
The review will also assess how DVLA works with its wide range of stakeholders within and outside of government to help keep Britain’s roads safe.
The licensing organisation recently launched new digital services and set what is describes as ‘ambitious’ targets for its future.
Other key ambitions of the review will include examining the extent to which the DVLA is supporting broader government objectives, participating in its transformation agenda and making recommendations to ministers to support future improvements of the DVLA.
The Cabinet Office offers a programme of public body reviews to assess the efficacy of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs), executive agencies (EAs) and non-ministerial departments (NMDs).
