Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Sarah Teather
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the effect that the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency prize draw promotion for customers renewing their vehicle excise licence online will have on the number of people choosing to renew their vehicle excise licence at a post office.

Mr. McFadden
Responsibility for the issue and renewal of motor vehicle excise licences, including the channels available to do so, rests with DVLA. The arrangements in place for renewal of licences at post offices are a contractual matter between DVLA and Post Office Ltd. These provide for this facility to be available at around 4,600 nationally and there has been no reduction in that number since online and telephone renewal was introduced.

Sarah Teather
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he is taking to encourage the renewal of vehicle excise licences through post offices; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. McFadden
The DVLA offers a number of methods of renewing vehicle licences. Renewal at a post office remains an important option.

I understand from Post Office Ltd. that 28,334,825 licence renewals took place at a post office branch during the period April 2007 to March 2008.