§ Mr. MossTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement about the future of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's information technology directorate.
§ Mr. ChopeI have recently reviewed the status of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency's directorate of information technology, known as DVOIT (Drivers, Vehicles and Operators Information Technology). This is a separate unit within the agency, comprising some 500 staff, which provides IT support to DVLA and to a number of other customers within the Department of Transport.
As a first step DVOIT will be established as a separate executive agency from next April. This will allow it to develop a more commercial style of operation and in particular to establish more formal contractual relationships with its customers. I hope this will pave the way for eventual privatisation in a few years' time.