asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the cost of processing an application for a United Kingdom driving licence; and how much of this is recovered by charges to the applicant. [HL821]

There are 16 transactions resulting in UK driving licence issue that fulfil applications for a UK driving licence, delivered though face-to-face, phone, paper and web channels. In GB these are delivered through the DVLA and in Northern Ireland through the DVA. Each combination of transactions and delivery route has a different cost attached.

However, only a minority of these transactions involves a charge to the applicant. Many transactions such as application for vocational licences, renewal after medical suspension, reregistration on change of details, renewal after the age of 70 are provided free of charge for policy reasons.

The principle therefore adopted by the DVLA, in line with Treasury guidance, is to recover the whole of the processing costs for such transactions in as close a manner as possible through fee levels levied on those transactions that do bear a charge. Public consultations are regularly undertaken to confirm the regime in place and the balance of fee levels charged.