LICENCE CHECKING: Question time (continued)

International Development

The estates and logistics manager in each of the Department for International Development’s (DFID) offices where vehicles are provided, or, in the rare instances where staff use their own vehicles, has the responsibility of checking for a valid driving licence and insurance certificate. In addition, the travel claims section of the finance department maintains copies of insurance certificates from claimants and verifies that these are still valid prior to payment of all mileage claims.

Each office provides a Transport Handbook, which sets out road safety advice such as local rules and customs and parts of town to avoid.

All staff are required to report accidents and near misses both in the office and in the course of their official duties outside the office, in accordance with health and safety legislation. All such reports would be reviewed by the internal health and safety team as appropriate.

Nigel Grainger says.

“A good system.”

Communities and Local Government

The mechanisms covering staff who drive in the course of their employment for Communities and Local Government or one of its Executive agencies are as follows: where Communities and Local Government staff need to drive their own vehicle as part of their official duties they are required to demonstrate they have a valid driving licences, appropriate insurance, a current vehicle excise disc and a current test certificate. General advice on road safety is available to all staff via the department’s intranet system and line managers are required to monitor compliance with this guidance. In addition, staff who claim for mileage expenses must certify they meet the necessary requirements. The department does not operate a fleet service.

In addition to any appropriate notification of a road traffic accident to the police and/or their insurer, staff working for Communities and Local Government are required enter a report on the department’s accident reporting system in the event of a road traffic accident while driving on departmental business. Any formal investigation into a report of a road traffic accident would be carried out by the relevant police force.

Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre

The QEII Conference Centre does not require any staff to drive as part of their official duties.

The Planning Inspectorate

The Planning Inspectorate request copies of an individual’s Driver licence, insurance certificate showing use for business purposes, V5 and MOT certificate (if required) before they are permitted to drive for the agency. All drivers have been issued with a drivers handbook which includes information and advice regarding their vehicle, the driver and the journey. The booklet also advises what to do in the event of an accident. The Planning Inspectorate are piloting on-line training, which includes a module and quiz on ‘Managing Occupational Road Risk’ and this will be rolled-out to all staff. Training will be at regular intervals and completion can be monitored electronically.

Fire Service College

Staff working for the Fire Service College who requisition an official college vehicle are required to declare that they hold a valid driving licence; that they will take reasonable care when driving the vehicle; and that they will report any accidents that occur while driving in the course of their official duties. Such accidents will then be investigated.

Fire Service College travel policy requires staff to officially declare that, when using a private vehicle for official duties: they hold a valid driving licence, they have appropriate insurance and are authorised to use the vehicle for business purposes. Staff are not specifically required to notify the college of any accidents that occur while driving a private vehicle in the course of their official duties.

Nigel Grainger says.

“Communities and Local Government has a good system, but the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre say that no-one drives, which seems a little unusual. The Planning Inspectorate, has a good system, too. Do they have lots of accidents, though, as it seems to be a big part of their system? Who investigates the incidents/accidents at the Fire Service College? “Staff do not need to report accidents” – this is a contradiction.”

Department of Health

Staff in the Department and its agencies do not use departmental vehicles. Those staff who use their own vehicles for business use, are personally responsible for ensuring that insurance and other driving documentation requirements are met. This must be confirmed on each claim for reimbursement of such expenses.

No specific guidance is issued in respect of road safety. Road traffic accidents are not reportable under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995.

Nigel Grainger says.

“Not sure where to start with Health, because assuming that staff will tell the truth is fraught with danger, especially in times of economic problems. Roads are the most dangerous part of the work a Health professional will undertake and they offer no guidance? I would venture that this is almost criminal neglect.”

Department of Business, innovation and skills

The driver of a car being used for business purposes is advised that his responsibilities are as follows: You have a current driving licence, which covers the vehicle being driven; you have suitable insurance allowing for business use of the vehicle; the car has a current MOT, and is roadworthy; you allow adequate time for journeys (including time for breaks on long journeys); you follow all advice, guidance and legislation relating to road safety; you will have to pay any fines incurred as a result of any driving offence; you drive with consideration for the safety of passengers and other road users.

Nigel Grainger says.

“Wow, this advice is basic in the extreme. It needs to be more in-depth and they really need to be giving instructions and checking for compliance rather than just offering some very weak advice.”

Transport

The Department for Transport has a departmental Driving at Work policy that includes the requirement for every driver or rider to hold a valid driving licence. If drivers or riders use their own vehicles they must also have appropriate insurance provision. Further detailed arrangements vary according to the exact business need in each agency and the central department.

All staff who drive or ride on departmental business have their driving licences and insurance provision checked by line management or in the case of DVLA by a dedicated team. Usually this is by visual inspection but in some parts of the department it is done by self-certification supported by management checks. There are regular reviews of the appropriate documentation that vary between six months to a year or whenever there is a change of circumstances.

Detailed guidance is available to all staff in respect of road safety while on departmental business line managers are responsible for monitoring arrangements. Guidance includes practical advice like checking vehicles prior to a journey, planning journeys and the need for regular breaks, using seat belts and not using a mobile phone while driving.

Staff are required to report all accidents via the internal arrangements in their agency or the central department. Reporting requirements includes accidents while driving in the course of their official duties. All accidents are investigated.

Nigel Grainger says.

“The statement seems to leave more out than it includes, with a few vague references to policies etc. Interestingly, they say that all accidents are investigated. By whom I wonder?”

Department of Energy and Climate Change

DECC’s own policies for travel and use of vehicles are currently still under development. In the interim, DECC staff refer to legacy policies from their ‘parent’ departments, Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. DECC does not own a fleet of vehicles for use by staff but staff may continue to be covered by arrangements from parent departments.

Procedure for BIS staff:

(a) BIS lease vehicles: BIS has access to a small number of vehicles (approximately five). which can be leased by staff from contracted providers. Procedures followed by staff and their managers (e.g. on driving licences, insurance etc.) comply with requirements from the individual contracted provider.

(b) Own car for business use/car hire: It is the responsibility of the driver to ensure that they have a current licence, which covers the car being driven and adequate insurance to provide cover for business use. Before using their own vehicle for business use, staff must obtain prior approval from their line manager. For staff using hire cars for departmental business, line managers must ensure that the driver: has no more than six penalty points on their driving licence; has not been disqualified from driving in the last three years; has had no more than two ‘at fault’ accidents in the past 12 months; line managers should examine at least annually the driving licences of all staff that drive department provided hired cars.

The guidance also reminds staff to ensure that they follow all advice, guidance and legislation relating to road safety and that they will have to pay any fines incurred as a result of any driving offence (e.g. speeding, parking, failure to pay congestion charge).

Procedure for DEFRA staff:

(a) DEFRA ‘pool’ of vehicles: to use a vehicle from the DEFRA pool, staff must obtain a valid driving permit. This can be obtained by faxing a copy of a current driving licence, which must be counter signed by their line manager, to the regional official vehicle manager.

(b) Own car for business use/car hire: Staff may only consider the use of a private vehicle if the journey is under 85 miles (unless a director signs off the use of a private vehicle and produces a business case). Staff are responsible for ensuring adequate insurance cover is held and no specific check of driving licences is made. For car hire, drivers must be 21 or over and have held a full licence for at least 12 months. Driving licences must not contain any endorsements for theft of vehicle or taking without consent. Line managers must ensure that drivers are eligible to drive by checking the driving licence before the first hire and thereafter on a six-monthly basis. Drivers are also required to show their licence to the hire firm representative when the vehicle is delivered.

DEFRA also promotes safe driving by publishing eco driving techniques on the intranet. Eco driving techniques have been shown to reduce collisions and driver stress.

Staff driving hire vehicles are required to report any accident as soon as they are able to the vehicle supplier. BIS staff are required to also report the accident to their line manager and the travel and subsistence policy unit. DEFRA staff also report the accident to the travel policy unit and the departmental health and safety unit.

Nigel Grainger says.

Again the policy seems disjointed. Best comment for me is that “Theft of vehicle or taking without consent” are not permitted on a licence, but does that mean drinking and driving is? Licences are only checked for hired or department cars, not own vehicles.

Verdict

Dr Stephen Ladyman

“The answers we have received show very mixed attitudes to licence checking and safe driving at work. Some departments obviously take it seriously and some clearly do not. Government should be setting an example of consistency and good practice.”

Nigel Grainger

“There are a few good systems, but on the whole the agencies/departments who have responded here are very likely to fall far short of the minimum needs of any business.

If these are the bodies setting policy for the rest of the country the very least they could do is follow their own policy.

Some of these departments could find themselves facing a corporate manslaughter prosecution based on the information available in these answers should a fatality occur that involves a member of their team.”

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