The Ministry of Justice publishes quarterly data on appeals against magistrates’ court decisions heard in the Crown Court in the Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly release which can be downloaded from the Criminal Court Statistics landing page here: Criminal court statistics - GOV.UK. Table C11 provides details of appeals heard at the Crown Court.

However, data is not centrally recorded on the specific grounds of appeal, including whether an appeal relates to the rejection of an exceptional hardship argument in proceedings concerning drivers liable to disqualification under the totting-up provisions.

This information may be contained within individual court records. However, identifying and reviewing relevant cases would require a manual examination of those records and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The Department has no plans to incorporate the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence qualification into either the driving licence or the driver tachograph card.

The Department has recently consulted on possible reforms to strengthen enforcement against drink and drug driving, including temporary licence suspension-type measures for suspected offenders before a case is concluded. The consultation has now closed and responses are being analysed.

Existing legislation already provides for courts to impose disqualification in appropriate cases, including as part of sentence. It also provides for interim disqualification in specified circumstances after conviction where an offence involving obligatory or discretionary disqualification has not yet been finally dealt with. Sentencing and disqualification decisions in individual cases are matters for the independent courts.

For drug-driving offences, the current evidential framework relies on blood analysis for specified-limit offences. The Department has also consulted on possible future changes to drink and drug-driving enforcement and has supported exploratory work on roadside evidential drug-testing capability, including the Mobile Evidential Drug Testing Instrument (MEDTI) Demonstrator. Any change to evidential testing arrangements would require further scientific, legal and operational consideration.

New debt recovery powers agreed by Parliament in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act 2025 are designed to increase fairness and to more effectively and efficiently be able to recover debt from individuals who are not in receipt of benefit or in suitable PAYE employment.

These powers will encourage voluntary repayment as well as ensuring that there is recourse for those who have the means to repay but do not.

Use of these Debt Recovery powers is governed by the published DWP Direct Deduction and Disqualification from Driving Orders Code of Practice, which sets out the strict safeguards that must be followed before any enforcement action is taken.

All DWP debt recovery activity, including through Direct Deduction Order’s or Driving Disqualification only take place once an overpayment decision has been made and communicated to the customer. This communication includes information on mandatory reconsideration and appeal rights.

New debt recovery powers agreed by Parliament in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act 2025 are designed to increase fairness and to more effectively and efficiently be able to recover debt from individuals who are not in receipt of benefit or in suitable PAYE employment.

These powers will encourage voluntary repayment as well as ensuring that there is recourse for those who have the means to repay but do not.

Use of these Debt Recovery powers is governed by the published DWP Direct Deduction and Disqualification from Driving Orders Code of Practice, which sets out the strict safeguards that must be followed before any enforcement action is taken.

All DWP debt recovery activity, including through Direct Deduction Order’s or Driving Disqualification only take place once an overpayment decision has been made and communicated to the customer. This communication includes information on mandatory reconsideration and appeal rights.

New debt recovery powers agreed by Parliament in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act are designed to increase fairness and to more effectively and efficiently be able to recover debt from individuals who are not in receipt of benefit or suitable PAYE employment.

These powers will encourage voluntary repayment of debt owed to DWP from those no longer in receipt of benefit or in suitable PAYE employment, as well as ensuring that there is recourse for those who have the means to repay but do not.

In the most serious cases, and where the outstanding debt balance is at least £1000, the Debt Recovery Measure allows DWP to apply to the Magistrates court for consideration of a Disqualification from Driving Order. These powers will be used as a last resort where all other attempts to secure repayment, including recovery directly from a bank account have not been possible. A court cannot grant a disqualification order where the individual has an essential need to drive, and initially any disqualification will be suspended providing the individual maintains the repayment terms set by the court. As part of the passage of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act, detailed Impact Assessments were published and are available online here: Impact assessment published online. The Impact Assessment contains our estimate of the scale of our debtors and debt stock as well as the cost of implementing the measures along with potential savings.

We expect to publish data relating to these measures through our usual routeways for example our Annual Report and Accounts

New debt recovery powers agreed by Parliament in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act are designed to increase fairness and to more effectively and efficiently be able to recover debt from individuals who are not in receipt of benefit or suitable PAYE employment.

These powers will encourage voluntary repayment of debt owed to DWP from those no longer in receipt of benefit or in suitable PAYE employment, as well as ensuring that there is recourse for those who have the means to repay but do not.

In the most serious cases, and where the outstanding debt balance is at least £1000, the Debt Recovery Measure allows DWP to apply to the Magistrates court for consideration of a Disqualification from Driving Order. These powers will be used as a last resort where all other attempts to secure repayment, including recovery directly from a bank account have not been possible. A court cannot grant a disqualification order where the individual has an essential need to drive, and initially any disqualification will be suspended providing the individual maintains the repayment terms set by the court. As part of the passage of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act, detailed Impact Assessments were published and are available online here: Impact assessment published online. The Impact Assessment contains our estimate of the scale of our debtors and debt stock as well as the cost of implementing the measures along with potential savings.

We expect to publish data relating to these measures through our usual routeways for example our Annual Report and Accounts

New debt recovery powers agreed by Parliament in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act are designed to increase fairness and to more effectively and efficiently be able to recover debt from individuals who are not in receipt of benefit or suitable PAYE employment.

These powers will encourage voluntary repayment of debt owed to DWP from those no longer in receipt of benefit or in suitable PAYE employment, as well as ensuring that there is recourse for those who have the means to repay but do not.

In the most serious cases, and where the outstanding debt balance is at least £1000, the Debt Recovery Measure allows DWP to apply to the Magistrates court for consideration of a Disqualification from Driving Order. These powers will be used as a last resort where all other attempts to secure repayment, including recovery directly from a bank account have not been possible. A court cannot grant a disqualification order where the individual has an essential need to drive, and initially any disqualification will be suspended providing the individual maintains the repayment terms set by the court. As part of the passage of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act, detailed Impact Assessments were published and are available online here: Impact assessment published online. The Impact Assessment contains our estimate of the scale of our debtors and debt stock as well as the cost of implementing the measures along with potential savings.

We expect to publish data relating to these measures through our usual routeways for example our Annual Report and Accounts

New debt recovery powers agreed by Parliament in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act are designed to increase fairness and to more effectively and efficiently be able to recover debt from individuals who are not in receipt of benefit or suitable PAYE employment.

These powers will encourage voluntary repayment of debt owed to DWP from those no longer in receipt of benefit or in suitable PAYE employment, as well as ensuring that there is recourse for those who have the means to repay but do not.

In the most serious cases, and where the outstanding debt balance is at least £1000, the Debt Recovery Measure allows DWP to apply to the Magistrates court for consideration of a Disqualification from Driving Order. These powers will be used as a last resort where all other attempts to secure repayment, including recovery directly from a bank account have not been possible. A court cannot grant a disqualification order where the individual has an essential need to drive, and initially any disqualification will be suspended providing the individual maintains the repayment terms set by the court. As part of the passage of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act, detailed Impact Assessments were published and are available online here: Impact assessment published online. The Impact Assessment contains our estimate of the scale of our debtors and debt stock as well as the cost of implementing the measures along with potential savings.

We expect to publish data relating to these measures through our usual routeways for example our Annual Report and Accounts

New debt recovery powers agreed by Parliament in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act are designed to increase fairness and to more effectively and efficiently be able to recover debt from individuals who are not in receipt of benefit or suitable PAYE employment.

These powers will encourage voluntary repayment of debt owed to DWP from those no longer in receipt of benefit or in suitable PAYE employment, as well as ensuring that there is recourse for those who have the means to repay but do not.

In the most serious cases, and where the outstanding debt balance is at least £1000, the Debt Recovery Measure allows DWP to apply to the Magistrates court for consideration of a Disqualification from Driving Order. These powers will be used as a last resort where all other attempts to secure repayment, including recovery directly from a bank account have not been possible. A court cannot grant a disqualification order where the individual has an essential need to drive, and initially any disqualification will be suspended providing the individual maintains the repayment terms set by the court. As part of the passage of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act, detailed Impact Assessments were published and are available online here: Impact assessment published online. The Impact Assessment contains our estimate of the scale of our debtors and debt stock as well as the cost of implementing the measures along with potential savings.

We expect to publish data relating to these measures through our usual routeways for example our Annual Report and Accounts

New debt recovery powers agreed by Parliament in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act are designed to increase fairness and to more effectively and efficiently be able to recover debt from individuals who are not in receipt of benefit or suitable PAYE employment.

These powers will encourage voluntary repayment of debt owed to DWP from those no longer in receipt of benefit or in suitable PAYE employment, as well as ensuring that there is recourse for those who have the means to repay but do not.

In the most serious cases, and where the outstanding debt balance is at least £1000, the Debt Recovery Measure allows DWP to apply to the Magistrates court for consideration of a Disqualification from Driving Order. These powers will be used as a last resort where all other attempts to secure repayment, including recovery directly from a bank account have not been possible. A court cannot grant a disqualification order where the individual has an essential need to drive, and initially any disqualification will be suspended providing the individual maintains the repayment terms set by the court. As part of the passage of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act, detailed Impact Assessments were published and are available online here: Impact assessment published online. The Impact Assessment contains our estimate of the scale of our debtors and debt stock as well as the cost of implementing the measures along with potential savings.

We expect to publish data relating to these measures through our usual routeways for example our Annual Report and Accounts

New debt recovery powers agreed by Parliament in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act are designed to increase fairness and to more effectively and efficiently be able to recover debt from individuals who are not in receipt of benefit or suitable PAYE employment.

These powers will encourage voluntary repayment of debt owed to DWP from those no longer in receipt of benefit or in suitable PAYE employment, as well as ensuring that there is recourse for those who have the means to repay but do not.

In the most serious cases, and where the outstanding debt balance is at least £1000, the Debt Recovery Measure allows DWP to apply to the Magistrates court for consideration of a Disqualification from Driving Order. These powers will be used as a last resort where all other attempts to secure repayment, including recovery directly from a bank account have not been possible. A court cannot grant a disqualification order where the individual has an essential need to drive, and initially any disqualification will be suspended providing the individual maintains the repayment terms set by the court. As part of the passage of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act, detailed Impact Assessments were published and are available online here: Impact assessment published online. The Impact Assessment contains our estimate of the scale of our debtors and debt stock as well as the cost of implementing the measures along with potential savings.

We expect to publish data relating to these measures through our usual routeways for example our Annual Report and Accounts

New debt recovery powers agreed by Parliament in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act are designed to increase fairness and to more effectively and efficiently be able to recover debt from individuals who are not in receipt of benefit or suitable PAYE employment.

These powers will encourage voluntary repayment of debt owed to DWP from those no longer in receipt of benefit or in suitable PAYE employment, as well as ensuring that there is recourse for those who have the means to repay but do not.

In the most serious cases, and where the outstanding debt balance is at least £1000, the Debt Recovery Measure allows DWP to apply to the Magistrates court for consideration of a Disqualification from Driving Order. These powers will be used as a last resort where all other attempts to secure repayment, including recovery directly from a bank account have not been possible. A court cannot grant a disqualification order where the individual has an essential need to drive, and initially any disqualification will be suspended providing the individual maintains the repayment terms set by the court. As part of the passage of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act, detailed Impact Assessments were published and are available online here: Impact assessment published online. The Impact Assessment contains our estimate of the scale of our debtors and debt stock as well as the cost of implementing the measures along with potential savings.

We expect to publish data relating to these measures through our usual routeways for example our Annual Report and Accounts

New debt recovery powers agreed by Parliament in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act are designed to increase fairness and to more effectively and efficiently be able to recover debt from individuals who are not in receipt of benefit or suitable PAYE employment.

These powers will encourage voluntary repayment of debt owed to DWP from those no longer in receipt of benefit or in suitable PAYE employment, as well as ensuring that there is recourse for those who have the means to repay but do not.

In the most serious cases, and where the outstanding debt balance is at least £1000, the Debt Recovery Measure allows DWP to apply to the Magistrates court for consideration of a Disqualification from Driving Order. These powers will be used as a last resort where all other attempts to secure repayment, including recovery directly from a bank account have not been possible. A court cannot grant a disqualification order where the individual has an essential need to drive, and initially any disqualification will be suspended providing the individual maintains the repayment terms set by the court. As part of the passage of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Act, detailed Impact Assessments were published and are available online here: Impact assessment published online. The Impact Assessment contains our estimate of the scale of our debtors and debt stock as well as the cost of implementing the measures along with potential savings.

We expect to publish data relating to these measures through our usual routeways for example our Annual Report and Accounts

A review in 2021/22 concluded that the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) should be retained but reformed. A package of reforms was introduced in December 2024 to provide greater flexibility for drivers and operators.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency has no plans to consolidate the qualification processes for these types of vehicles. The skills and knowledge necessary to safely drive each vehicle category are sufficiently different to require separate assessments. Drivers, however, who hold licence entitlements for both lorries and buses only need to complete one set of 35 hours periodic training every five years to maintain their Driver CPC qualification.

Motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer, and it is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant. If an applicant wishes to drive a vehicle in the Republic of Ireland and possesses a UK driving licence, the insurer will decide on whether or not to offer a policy.

The Department has not made a specific assessment of the relationship between the age of commercial minibus drivers and collision risk. The Driver Licensing Call for Evidence published in 2023 considered a range of driver licensing issues. The summary of responses noted that the available evidence was not sufficiently robust to support changes to policy, and no further action was taken. That exercise did not specifically assess the relationship between age and collision risk for commercial minibus drivers.

The Department has not undertaken a specific assessment of the potential merits of changing the minimum age requirements for driving a commercial minibus on a professional basis. Driver licensing policy, including minimum age requirements, is kept under review. Any future changes would be informed by a robust evidence base, including consideration of road safety impacts.

The Department’s most recent published estimate of the annual cost of Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) requirements was made in the 2016 Post Implementation Review, which estimated the average annual cost of the regulations at £149 million.

To become a lorry or bus driver commercially, individuals need to take the four Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) tests. The costs for driving tests, including for CPC tests, can be found on GOV.UK. If an individual takes part 3a off-road exercises with an approved test provider instead of the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, there may be additional costs.

After this initial qualification, individuals must do 35 hours of periodic training every 5 years to keep their Driver CPC to drive a lorry, bus or coach.

The cost of CPC training after licence acquisition is set commercially and can vary depending on the provider and format. Typically, a 7-hour module costs between £60 and £100. The full 35-hour requirement may cost £300 to £500. Some employers cover the costs of training for their drivers.