MS stresses importance of DVLA to Swansea area

SWANSEA East MS Mike Hedges has brought up the future of the city’s DVLA in a debate at the Senedd.

Mr Hedges said: “Casual and flippant remarks from a minister in London has caused many of my constituents great distress as they look to the future and consider how they will manage with the cost of living crisis.

“With all of the challenges faced by people in Swansea East at the moment it was a very difficult thing to hear a minister in London throwing out the possibility that the DVLA would be privatised.

“It is not the way to treat a hardworking, committed workforce and has caused genuine distress to many of my constituents who are now worried about their future employment.

“I welcome the more sympathetic approach of the Welsh Government and hope that in the future government ministers in Westminster will consider the impact of their words on the employees of whom they know little and care less.

“I hope that there will be no moves to outsource or privatise the DVLA.”

Mr Hedges was referring to remarks made by ministers Jacob Rees-mogg and Grant Schapps.

The UK Government will do “whatever it takes”, including possible privatisation, to improve the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said.

He made the comment amid huge delays in processing driving licence applications.

The Cabinet minister told the Commons’ Transport Select Committee he and the Prime Minister will “look at everything”.

He said: “We’ll look at whether we can bring in private services to assist.

“I’ll look at the different motoring organisations. We have DVLA and DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency). It’s very confusing for most people. One does the licensing, the other one does the testing. People ask why there are two organisations. “I’ll look at all of these things. “No stone will be left unturned.” Mr Shapps said the backlog of driving licence applications had been cut from a peak of 1.2 million to 400,000 due to a series of measures. He added that the delays “wouldn’t be there at all if it hadn’t been for an entirely unnecessary strike at DVLA”.

Mr Hedges said in the Senedd: “Firstly, many of my constituents were seriously concerned about the future of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

“I want to stress the importance of the DVLA to Swansea and the wider Swansea Bay region. This was how the 1960s Labour levelling-up worked, by moving a government department out of London.”