No guarantee project will stick to 2014 start date, MPs told
Plans to give insurers easy access to DVLA information on motorists have stalled because of a row over which side will pay, according to roads minister Michael Penning.
The DVLA could no longer confirm the project would go live in the first quarter of 2014 as expected, Enfield North MP Nick de Bois said in a House of Commons debate last week.
The Industry Access to Driver Data project, started in 2009, would let insurers check DVLA files before accepting a prospective policyholder.
This would remove the problem of motorists being asked to volunteer information about their driving, such as whether they hold a valid licence or have any penalty points.
Penning said: “Some 18 months ago, I made a speech to the insurers and said: ‘We will give you this facility. It is expensive, so we will need some financial help from you as well, because you will get a tangible benefit from this, along with all of us.’
“There have been some difficulties with those negotiations in recent months, which I think is what my honorable friend alluded to in his earlier comments.”
But Penning said the project was not going to be scrapped.
An ABI spokesman said: “I am not aware of any particular delays. Discussions and negotiations continue.”
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