Abolition of the counterpart webchat
transcript
th
26 March 2015
Page 1
10:29
DVLA admin:
Good morning and welcome to today’s webchat about the abolition of the driving licence
counterpart.
10:30
DVLA admin:
The event hosts are: Dudley Ashford - Drivers Service Manager, Hugh Evans Corporate Services Manager and Lynette Rose - Head of Policy.
10:30
DVLA admin:
This is your opportunity to ask how these changes will affect you, we look forward to
your questions.
10:31
Comment From Andy Cooke
Good Morning all,
Hugh Evans:
morning Andy
10:34
Comment From Tony Ghirra
Is it possible to request codes that last longer than 72 hours for employers? (eg. 2 or 5 years)
Hugh Evans:
Hi Tony, we are using our private beta to take this type of feedback from customers on the
duration of the code.
Page 2
10:34
Comment From Simon Charters
Are we still on track for June 8th?
Hugh Evans:
Hi Simon...yes :)
10:35
Comment From Mike
i cant hear this - should there be a dial in number i can call in on?
Lynette Rose:
This is text only today. Sorry
10:36
Comment From Simon Charters
can you absolutely confirm that people will be able to get an access code to SDL by telephone if
they don't have web access? (your document states "may")
Hugh Evans:
Hi Simon, yes the phone service will be available for those who don't have web access to
SDL
10:36
Page 3
Comment From Kevin Birch
Where currently, a driver has to apply to have endorsements removed from their licence. after
the abolishment of the counterpart, will endorsements be automatically removed once spent? in
the same way as the endorsements will be electronically applied by the courts.
Lynette Rose:
Yes they will be removed automatically from the driver record at the right time. There will be
no need for the customer to take any specific action.
10:37
Comment From Guest
Hi, Good Morning. in regards to the Share My Licence portal will the individual reference
number timelimit of 72 hours increase, as I was chatting with someone the other day who
advised that they had heard the 72 hour timelimit was being remover?
Hugh Evans:
Hi, we are using our private beta to help determine the code validity period
10:39
Comment From Christine
The expectation was that all of the inforamtion shown on the current paper counterpart would be
visible in the on-line view, (printable PDF) however I can see no mention of DOB or address
being provided
Lynette Rose:
The date of birth and address will be available to individual customers through view driving
licence. These details will not be available through the share service.
10:39
Comment From Simon Charters
whilst the license details can be updated "overnight", what is the SLA between the court service
and DVLA to make sure they actually do it?
Hugh Evans:
Hi Simon, the courts are required to notify DVLA of convictions details asap. This normally
happens overnight following date of conviction.
Page 4
10:39
Comment From Tony Ghirra
Can you give us any detail on the ADD system to allow us to check driving licences in bulk?
How will it work? What will it cost? How long will a check take? etc
Dudley Ashford:
ADD is real time API that will allow registered users to make individual driver record checks.
The response to each enquiry will be instantaneous. Users will have a contract with DVLA to
access the data. The connection will be via a dedicated leased line. The deployment has
one-off costs and an annual line rental. Charges for enquiries will be on a cost recovery
basis. New user will be asked to forecast their volumes against which we will provide a
charge. Please e-mail us at [email protected]
10:41
Comment From GP
Hi, Is it to late to be part of the Private Beta test?
Hugh Evans:
We have received a high number of requests and want to ensure a broad coverage of
customer groups. Although we have sufficient numbers from various industry groups, please
email [email protected] we'll see what we can do!
10:41
Comment From David
Please can you confirm whether post June the photo card will be taken off the licence holder if
they lose their licence following an offence? In other words does the fact that someone has a
photocard prove they have a valid licence or is it possible it has been revoked?
Lynette Rose:
The process will be much the same as now. So the courts should take the photocard from
the individual if the driver is disqualified.
10:42
Page 5
Comment From David
will a transcript of this webchat be issued as per the previous webchat?
Hugh Evans:
Hi David, yes we'll aim to publish the transcript asap following today's webchat
10:42
Comment From Simon Charters
how will business be able to get notification of planned and unplanned web service downtime,
e.g., can we subscribe to alerts?
Dudley Ashford:
For our GOV.UK based services we will publish a message in advance on any planned
outage on the site. For our contracted services (such as ADD) we will send advance notice
to users.
10:43
Comment From Mike
Do you have a flowchart type overview of the various key routes to check a licence at DVLA ?
Dudley Ashford:
Hi Mike, yes - please e-mail us [email protected] and we will send
information to you.
10:43
Comment From Alex Curley
Good Morning. How is the development of the Access to Driver Data service coming along? Has
your pricing structure for it been defined or how long will it be until is? Summer 2015 was given
as the date for it being available, is this still the case and are you able to give any more
specifics?
Hugh Evans:
Hi Alex, the ADD private beta is progressing well. We've received a number of responses to
the pricing proposals which is helping to inform charging model. We'll be writing out again
shortly with more details.
Page 6
10:44
Comment From Andy Cooke
To Kevin Birch, as I understand from the last webchat the DVLA will only be able to hold 5 years
of information on the counterpart
Lynette Rose:
DVLA will only disclose information to third parties in line with the Rehabilitation of Offenders
Act. In practice, that means providing 5 years worth of information. An individual driver will
be able to view current endorsements as long as they are in force.
10:45
Comment From Christine
We assumed that the details provided in the on-line view would mirror the current details on the
paper counterpart, I can not see any mention of DOB or Address, is this something that you can
provide?
Dudley Ashford:
Hi Christine, this information is available on the photocard driving licence and therefore we
do not currently plan to display this information on Share Driving Licence. Date of birth and
address is available on View Driving Licence.
10:46
Comment From Simon Charters
Regarding DR offences, our insurers are (obviously) telling us that we cannot hire to banned
drivers - but if we can only see 5 years data and the ban is for longer, we have no means of
differentiating a banned driver from a clean one?
Lynette Rose:
A driver who has been banned would not have entitlement to drive. This information would
be available to third parties.
10:46
Page 7
Comment From Eddie
Is there plans to include LGV drivers, Drivers cpc card, on the online check?
Hugh Evans:
Hi Eddie. LGV driver details/entitlements are already available. Although we've received
request to include CPC information, we do not yet have a timescale for this.
10:47
Comment From Tony Ghirra
Is there a plan to use chips (like on a digital tachograph) on the photocards to store
points/licence information?
Lynette Rose:
There are no plans for this currently.
10:47
Comment From Brown
Good morning! We investigate potentially fraudulent motor insurance claims and have an
account with DVLA, utilising the DVLA D796 mandate to obtain the driving histories of
individuals - will we still be able to do this?
Hugh Evans:
Yes, you'll still be able to do this via ADD
10:47
Comment From Andy Cooke
How is the Beta that you have running, different to what is already available on the DVLA
website that requires the National Insurance input? Is it a simpler version
Dudley Ashford:
Share Driving Licence is an enhancement to View Driving Licence that enables you to share
your driver data with third parties.
Page 8
10:49
10:50
DVLA admin:
Keep your questions coming...thanks
Comment From Guest
Will there be any differences regarding ADD for Local Authorities? Or do we also purchase if
required?
Hugh Evans:
Hi, please would you clarify the question...
10:51
Comment From GP
Hi, The Changes to the Rehabilitation of offenders act removes the distinguishing of Motoring
and non motoring convictiions, therefore if someones criminal offence carries no rehabilitation
period any prior un spent convictions also are deemed unspent. How will you maintain this?
Also if someone recieves a further offence before the initial offence is spent, the initial offence is
not spent until the latter is spent too. Therefore there is a potential for driving convictions to
never be spent or not be spent for up to 30 years+.
Lynette Rose:
We will continue to maintain our driver record as we do now. In effect this will still mean that
we will only disclose convictions for up to 5 years.
10:52
Comment From Jim
As your contact center closes at 8pm and isn't open on Sunday what happens if I need to share
my deatils and am unable to use your phone service and online service
Dudley Ashford:
Hi Jim, this is one of the considerations in the 72hr code validity so that customers can
initiate the share code in advance of the time the person or organisation checking would
require it. Therefore the need to request the code on Sunday can be avoided. The free web
service is available 24/7.
Page 9
10:55
Comment From David
If one does not don't have a counter part licence what is shown to a car hire companies outside
the UK in July onwards?
Lynette Rose:
The on-line service will be accessible from anywhere in the world. Information will also be
available on gov.uk. However, we have also informed EU authorities about the changes and
we understand many rental companies are publishing these changes to their outlets abroad..
10:57
Comment From Christine
Thank you for answering my question about DOB and address, the benefit of the share my
licence is to avoid requesting manual copies of licence. Is the decision linked data security or is
it still an option to consider this as a capability?
Dudley Ashford:
Hi Christine, the main consideration is that this information is currently available on the
photocard and the new services are not designed to replace the whole licence. We wouldn't
rule out including this information on Share Driving Licence at a later date, but have no firm
plans at this stage. The more information we make available the tighter the security controls
will need to be.
11:00
Comment From Tony Ghirra
Does ADD check one driver at a time, or can a number of drivers be checked in one 'click'? I
work in a large company that would need to check all our 1000+ drivers every three months.
Hugh Evans:
Hi Tony, the system is not currently designed to cater for multiple enquiries on a single
request. Organisations could however configure their interface with the ADD service to cater
for larger batch volumes on a single click basis as long as they were fed through on an
individual request basis.
Page 10
11:01
Comment From Guest
At this stage. What should I as a Local Authority be doing to ensure that employees are legal
and the transisition after June 8th is seemless?
Lynette Rose:
I'm not sure if you have seen much of our information on this. You may find it useful to
email [email protected] The short answer is that you will need to
satisfy yourselves that the checks you are making on driving licences meet your legal
requirements in terms of Corporate Manslaughter and Health and Safety.
11:02
Comment From Jordan Barton
Is any guidance available for how the abolition will affect the identity verification process for
police checks?
Lynette Rose:
Not quite sure what you mean here. The police access driver information to confirm
entitlement to drive rather than identity. This will continue in the future.
11:02
Comment From Simon Charters
Thank you for your responses, very helpful
11:03
Comment From Alex Curley
How long has the ADD private beta been running and is it still possible to join?
Dudley Ashford:
Hi Alex - ADD beta has been running for a month with a limited number of existing DVLA
data customers. We're pulling together the required registration documentation. This should
be available in May.
Page 11
11:04
Comment From Tony Ghirra
Following on from David's question about car hire - what about hire companies outside Europe?
eg USA?
Lynette Rose:
If a British driver is asked about the counterpart anywhere in the world they can utilise the
share driving licence. It will be for individuals to check that company's policies before they
travel.
11:06
Comment From Mike
After the abolition date is achieved whats the next big thing for the DVLA
Hugh Evans:
Hi Mike, we have a large pipeline of change planned but we'll also be implementing
continuous improvement to our existing services. Details of which can be found in DVLA's
business plan and strategic plans. The new business plan will be published shortly.
11:06
Comment From Christine
When can we expect the results of the BETA testing?
Dudley Ashford:
We will post updates when we can on our Digital Services blog. We expect to move to Public
Beta, which is the next stage of the service in May
11:06
Page 12
Comment From David
Is see you said the "online services will be accessible from anywhere in the world" Does this
apply to the hire companies? if so how are DPA issues addressed?
Lynette Rose:
Third parties will only be able to access information with the consent of the individual. This is
the same as now where the driver chooses to show the counterpart, in future they will decide
who to share the code or PDF with.
11:09
Comment From Brown
Will the information disclosed subsequent to the submission of a DVLA D796 mandate remain
the same - i.e. disclosure of the photo card photograph, address, DOB and endorsement history
(going back 5 years)?
Lynette Rose:
I think it would be really useful to have more information from you to answer this properly.
Could you email [email protected]
11:10
Comment From Brown
Will the photo be viewable via the new online service?
Hugh Evans:
Hi, no - the photo will not be available via the service. As you will know the photo is available
to view on the photocard licence.
11:11
Comment From David
What are the contingency plans for an IT failure or overload issue on first live use date? will
extra phone staff and lines be available?
Hugh Evans:
Hi David, we'll ensure that full contingency arrangements are in place around this important
change.
Page 13
11:12
Comment From Christine
DOB & Address question - in instances where customers have opted not to provide DL number
at point of quote for what ever purpose and we require further information this will mean that the
customer will need to provide a copy of their plastic licence and go through the process of
providing a code - which feels like harder work for a customer, we would welcome a decision to
review linking licence with a few more individual identifiers
Dudley Ashford:
Hi Christine - Is this in relation to an insurance quotation? If the customer chooses not to
provide their DLN then they would self declare as currently happens.
11:13
11:13
DVLA admin:
Thanks for all your questions so far, please keep them coming.
Comment From Jordan Barton
To clarify my question, currently when an individual is required to complete a DBS check for
employment, they are required to also show identification as part of the process.
Lynette Rose:
The driving licence is meant to show entitlement rather than identity. However, we know
some people choose to use it in this way. It is up to organisations to ask for information they
may require and then an individual can choose whether to share or not.
11:15
Page 14
Comment From Christine
What are you doing to publicise this new process, we have recently spoken with a number
interested industry professionals that are not aware that this is happening?
Hugh Evans:
Hi Christine, we have been working hard to ensure all customers and stakeholders groups
are aware of this change. You can keep up to date on progress at
our GOV.UK blog www.insidedvla.blog.gov.uk which has links to a briefing pack. If any
industry stakeholder requires further information please ask them to contact us direct on our
email [email protected] we'll be more than happy to help.
11:16
Comment From Lewis
Can you explain how endorsements will be recorded when the counterpart goes as currently
people have to send their counterparts to courts and fixed penalty offices to have their points
recorded on their counterparts
Lynette Rose:
Courts and fixed penalty offices will require the photocard to be sent to them. They will then
update the DVLA driver record as now. Individuals will be able to see any updates on the
View Driving Licence service.
11:17
DVLA admin:
We’ve got time for a few more questions...
11:22
Comment From Tony Ghirra
Thanks very much for taking the time to do this online chat. I'm sure I speak for everyone here
when I say that we really appreciate it.
11:23
Comment From Christine
DOB & Address - thank you for you response, I appreciate that self dec is an option, however
inevitably there will be instances where individuals chose this route for a reason. Once we lose
the counterpart this means we will have to request both plastic licence and code which feels
cumbersome. Happy to discuss offline if that works better?
Page 15
Dudley Ashford:
If you have a requirement to see the DOB, address and endorsement information then you
will need to check both the photocard and Share Driving Licence. However, Share Driving
Licence will provide you with an up-to-date view of the drivers record, which is a benefit over
the existing counterpart. For the motor insurance industry we have been working closely with
the MIB to deliver the MyLicence initiative.
11:24
Comment From Phil
What information would a hire car company need from a customer to check their licence.
Lynette Rose:
To use the Share Driving Licence service the car hire company will need the individual to
provide the check code and the last 8 digits of the driver licence number.
11:24
Comment From David
Is there going to be a PR/TV campaign to tell people to destroy their old paper counterpart (post
June) as it will be of no value to hire co.s, employers etc. going forward as new convictions will
not be noted on it?
Hugh Evans:
Hi David, we are using all our owned and earned communication channels to inform the
public and corporate customers of this change. One of the main messages to the public is
that they should destroy the counterpart as it will have no legal status from 8 June. We are
working working in partnership with stakeholders including the motor and car hire industry to
maximize awareness - we have a free toolkit of comms materials on our blog if you want to
use it...details at www.insidedvla.blog.gov.uk Our current comms campaign is working well
and is continually being evaluated against objectives.
11:26
Page 16
Comment From David
Thank you all for your help
11:27
Comment From Tony Ghirra
Can there be a QR code printed on the photocard that takes the user to a web page showing
the counterpart information?
Dudley Ashford:
Thanks for the comment, a QR code on the photocard would pose a security issue and
therefore was not taken forward as option.
11:28
Comment From David
One quick last question - when and where will the transcript be published?
Hugh Evans:
Hi David, the transcript will be published on the same/link as the webchat...
11:28
Comment From David
What will happen for people who have paper driving licences only? Will they still get points put
on the licence?
Lynette Rose:
Paper licences will remain valid. However they will no longer be endorsed so drivers will
need to use new services to provide entitlement and endorsement information.
11:32
Comment From David
How much did all this cost?
Hugh Evans:
Hi David, full details of the costs are available in the impact assessment that has been
published. If you [email protected] we'll be more than happy to
send you a link.
Page 17
11:32
Comment From Tony Ghirra
Can ADD be setup to notify the company if one of our drivers gets points on their licence?
Dudley Ashford:
ADD isn't able to send push notifications when changes occur to the driver record. However
this is a commonly requested feature that may be a future consideration.
11:33
Comment From Alex Curley
Thanks for your responses to my questions around ADD. Is there a way of getting more
information (further to the stakeholder briefing pack) around the details on what ADD will provide
and seeing some screenshots of how it will look & work?
Hugh Evans:
Hi Alex, yes please send your questions to our dedicated email
address [email protected] and we'll be more than happy to help.
11:34
Comment From Paul
Hi, sound like there are busy times ahead! Do you feel confident you have the IT systems to
deal with the demands from customers?
Dudley Ashford:
Yes - the IT systems can be scaled and performance tested to very high demand volumes
that we anticipate.
11:35
Page 18
Comment From James Owen
When it comes to insurance quotations and the inception of a policy if the client provides a copy
of the downloaded details from View My Licence ar the brokers able to keep this document and
supply copies to the relevant insurers? Does the client have to give permission for this or does
the fact that they have already shared the info allow it to be used as required by the broker?
Lynette Rose:
The PDF is intended for single use. Any insurance broker would need to ensure they
complied with their data protection obligations. There is an alternative service specifically
intended for insurance companies to use called My Licence.
11:36
Comment From Guest
you will be aware there is a considerable resistance from the industry in that your proposed
service will fail to meet their requirements for bulk checking 24/7 on an FOC basis - how are you
planning to address this issue?
Hugh Evans:
We've worked closely industry stakeholders and trade associations to understand their
concerns. We have encouraged involvement in the private beta so that organisations can
assess how their processes can interface with the new free of charge service.
11:36
Comment From Christine
On the share my licence details will is show if the licence is currently suspended?
Dudley Ashford:
Yes - it will show the current licence status. E.g. Disqualified, provisional, full, revoked
11:38
11:39
Page 19
DVLA admin:
Last couple of questions...
Comment From sarah
As a driving instructor I regularly work in areas without phone or internet signal, how am I meant
to check new learners details in such cases? Seems like this new system is going to cause me
tones of hassle. Also do you intend to change the opening hours of your call center to meet
business needs e.g. Sunday opening and extended hours
Dudley Ashford:
Hi Sarah - we don't have any plans to extend the opening hours of our Contact Centre. You
could obtain the check code from the student at the time the lesson is booked, and conduct
the licence check prior the lesson. This also removes the risk of potentially checking out-ofdate information.
11:41
Comment From Kevin Birch
Lynette earlier stated that drivers would have to send in their photocard to have endorsements
added. It has earlier been stated that endorsements will now be automatically added by the
courts etc. So does the photocard have to be sent in? If so does this still mean that the driver 28
days to submit their photocard for having endorsements added before they are revoked?
Lynette Rose:
There is still a legal requirement for the photocard to be submitted to the courts and fixed
penalty offices within a certain timeframe. The points etc are then allocated automatically to
DVLA. Drivers will no longer be revoked for not submitting the counterpart as other
procedures apply.
11:41
Comment From James Owen
How does an insurance company access the My Licence facility?
Dudley Ashford:
Please contact the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) for further information on how to access the
service.
11:41
Comment From Guest
Hugh - so if the feedback from the private beta is negative what plans do you have in place to
redress the position?
Hugh Evans:
Hi, we are keen to make the service as user friendly and fit for purpose as possible and will
take on board all constructive comments received.
Page 20
11:42
DVLA admin:
Thanks for your questions today, Hugh, Dudley and Lynette have tried to answer as
many as possible. We’ve received some excellent feedback and we’ll be using it to help
inform our communication campaign.
11:42
DVLA admin:
A transcript of this event will be available at:http://assets.dft.gov.uk/we...
You can help support the abolition of the counterpart campaign by downloading our
communications toolkit from: http://dvla.dft.gov.uk/dvla...
11:42
Page 21
DVLA admin:
If you have any further queries, you can get in touch by
emailing: [email protected]