§ Mr. PaiceTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimates he has made of the costs associated with allowing all post offices to sell road fund licences. [14026]
§ Mr. Alexander[holding answer 13 November 2001]: I have been informed by Post Office Ltd. that it acts as agent for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) in issuing motor vehicle licences through 4,000 post offices. In order to safeguard the interests of taxpayers, DVLA has to ensure that the relicensing service is cost effective. Under the present arrangements, increasing the number of post offices offering the facility increases the costs without increasing the total revenue collected. With the completion of the Horizon automation programme, we are considering the scope for extending the facility more widely without additional cost to DVLA.