Data sharing cuts driving licence red tape

Details are beginning to emerge of the first customer service improvements resulting from joint working between the passport and driving licence agencies.

One of the first proposed schemes will reduce the amount of documentation needed to apply for a new driving licence.

With the consent of applicants, the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) will be able to access passport records when making identity checks. This would remove the requirement to include a passport when making the application.

But plans to offer more sophisticated services have hit problems.

Bernand Herdan, chief executive of the UK Passport Service (UKPS), recently told the Public Accounts Committee that "data protection worries" were stalling work on developing a renewal notification service.

The UKPS had hoped to be able to send out renewal notices using addresses held by the DVLA, which has a much more accurate database.

The two agencies face problems in sharing data because they are not allowed to use personal information for purposes other than those for which it was originally collected.

Plans to make driving licence applications easier side-steps this ruling by seeking consent from users.

The DVLA refused to be drawn on when the scheme would start.

The two agencies are also closely involved with government work on developing an entitlement card system, as their databases could form the basis of such a system.