§ Mr. SwireTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what criteria are used in the granting of the right to sub-post offices to issue vehicle licences where there is strong local demand. [62797]
§ Mr. TimmsActing as an agent, Post Office Ltd. is dependent on the level of service required through post offices by the Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency. I am informed by Post Office Ltd. that criteria used to place the motor vehicle licensing (MVL) facility include availability of office space, car parking, local customer demand and the need to maintain a geographical spread. Currently 4,091 offices offer MVL services.
Current figures also indicate that 90 per cent. of people are within one mile of a post office which offers these MVL services.