Drivers who have certain medical conditions may have to wait longer for their licence due to a backlog caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
A report by the National Audit Office found that processing for standard driving licences have returned to normal levels, but there are still delays in applications from drivers with medical conditions. This is because many applications from those with medical conditions are still paper-based.
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency ( DVLA ) was able to process online applications while employees were working remotely during the pandemic, however this was not as feasible for paper-based applications.
The DVLA normally expects to make 90 per cent of medical licensing decisions within 90 working days but suspended this target from April 2020. Difficulties in obtaining medical information from GPs and other medical professionals - which the DVLA needs to make a licensing decision - contributed to the delays.
Gareth Davies, head of the NAO, said: "The DVLA was not able to process paper-based licence applications while COVID-19 restrictions prevented many of its staff from being on its site, resulting in a backlog of work.
"Most licences are now being processed within expected times, but drivers with medical conditions continue to wait longer than normal.
"While the DVLA’s digital strategy aims to make the application process more efficient, the full benefits of this remain 3 to 5 years away."
The DVLA took a number of steps to reduce the volume of applications it was receiving and increase the ability of its staff to work on-site to process paper-based licence applications.
This included changing the law to automatically extend all driving licences for 11 months and to enable vocational licence holders who were unable to arrange a medical examination, which they must do every five years from the age of 45, to obtain a one-year licence.
This comes after a separate warning saw driver cautioned about fake Highway Code guidebooks. The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has warned that these fakes appear 'almost identical' to the official Highway Code - except they contain misinformation about road safety.
A DVLA spokesman said: “As the NAO report recognises, our online services worked well throughout the pandemic with 95% of digital applications for ordinary driving licences processed within three working days. Between April 2020 and September 2022 we issued more than 24 million driving licences, the vast majority of which were issued without delay.
“COVID-19 restrictions in Wales meant fewer staff were able to work on site to process the 13 million items of mail we receive a year. All standard paper applications were back to normal turnaround times earlier this year.
"There are some delays in processing applications where drivers have told us of a medical condition but in the majority of cases applicants can carry on driving unless they have been told not to by a medical professional.”
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