AQW 23141/17-22

Mr Andrew Muir
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 24/09/2021
Answered On Date: 30/09/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Infrastructure whether her Department will consider making (i) the DL1 driving licence application form; and (ii) other similar application forms available online to download.

Answer:

The two main forms in use for driving licence applications are the DL1 and DL2 forms. The DL1 is used to apply for a Group 1 (car/motorcycle/tractor) licence and to make changes to an existing driving licence. The DL2 form is for Group 2 (lorry/bus) driving licences.

The Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) uses scanning software to scan paper forms and make them available to staff for processing through electronic workflows. The software has been developed to align with the printed version of the form. A form printed from a downloadable version would alter the settings and the print margins, which would impact on the effectiveness of the scanning software. Therefore, there are no plans to make these forms available in a downloadable format.

The focus of development for Driver Licensing in recent years has been to develop and enhance online services and to encourage uptake of those services. At present the DVA offers three main driver licensing services online which account for around 70% of all transactions, these are Renew Your Driving Licence (for Group 1 licences), Replace Your Driving Licence (both Group 1 and Group 2 licences) and notify a Change of Address (both Group 1 and Group 2).

The DVA is currently considering further enhancements to its online services to include other transactions such as renewal applications for Group 2 drivers and First Provisional applications.