To ask the Minister of the Environment, pursuant to AQW 45548/11-15, to detail the discovery and development phases of the Driver and Vehicle Agency's new driver licensing IT system; and whether it will reduce the cost of driving licences.

The replacement driver licensing system is currently being developed utilising an ‘Agile’ development methodology, to replace the existing system. ‘Discovery’ and ‘Development’ are standard phases within Agile methodology.

The Discovery Phase of the new driver licensing IT system is about capturing information and creating a workable solution for the application. It involves determining the user needs that the service should meet, the constraints that exist, and the measures that will be used to evaluate and continuously improve the service.

The Development Phase is about developing a prototype of the new system while continuing to build upon the findings of the Discovery Phase. It involves selecting and testing technologies, and developing business scenarios identified as high priority during Discovery. During the development phase the solution is developed and delivered in phases to the Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA) who then has the opportunity to review the system and make any changes necessary. This allows for continual refinement of the new system in line with the needs of the business.

The first phase of the replacement driver licensing system is scheduled to go live in April 2016 and will deliver improvements to the customer experience, service efficiencies and other enhancements. The ability to reduce fees will be heavily dependent on the availability of a means to verify the identity of the user applying to use the service and subsequently the uptake of online transactions. Once the first phase goes live, this will provide an opportunity to review the fees currently charged for the processing of driver licences.