§ Mr. Spenceasked the Secretary of State for Transport what limitations exist in the powers of the Post Office to issue vehicle excise duty licences for motor vehicles; what is the reason for such limitations; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeIn the past in Great Britain the Post Office was able to renew vehicle licences only over the counter and when the applicant was using the reminder form issued by the driver and vehicle licensing centre. The Government have now arranged for it to deal with virtually all relicensing whether the reminder form is used or not and whether the application is made in person or by post. The exceptions to this amount to only a tiny percentage of all renewals. They are:
- (a) if the applicant uses the non-computerised renewal form but cannot produce a registration document;
- (b) if the non-computerised form is used for a goods vehicle over 1,525 kgs (30 cwt) unladen;
- (c) if there have been changes to the tax class of the vehicle;
- (d) if the vehicle is subject to customs restriction or concession.
The work involved in these transactions is more complicated and the Post Office does not wish to take it on, at least for the time being. Applications for the first licensing and registration of new cars are also still handled at my Department's local vehicle licensing offices.
We have also arranged for the number of post offices issuing licences over the counter to be increased in the first instance from 2,000 to 3,000.In addition postal applications can now be made to most head post offices. We will expand this network of services at post offices if it proves that the new arrangements do not provide an adequate service to the public.
These changes provide a much more local and convenient service for motorists and are contributing to savings of £7 million a year and over 1,000 Civil Service posts.