PPC's costing DVLA £600k a year

[Who me ?]

Just found this on a Consumer advice group news letter.

Taxpayers are spending up to £600,000 a year to subsidise the cost of private parking firms getting drivers’ details from the DVLA so they can charge motorists. And that total subsidy pot may have topped £5million over the last eight years.

New figures obtained from a Freedom of Information request reveal that the DVLA loses 34p every time a parking company applies for the details of a car’s registered keeper.

The subsidy arises because the private firms pay £2.50 for documentation, which costs the DVLA £2.84 to handle.

This year the agency has received 1.8million applications from private companies, costing the public purse around £612,000.

And this was posted on a forum message place

"Good news folks I have done some research on this [problem] thats come up trumps and could lead to the recovery of lots dosh,by way of court claims against the cowboys
Many victims play their game and appeal to the kangaroo court. Don't do that.The law on data processing is clear please read the sec 17 of The Data Protection Act. Prohibition of Processing Without Registration. Whats that got to do with it you say? Its this! the next step is to find the cowboys registered office and make a note of the same. You then need to go to The Data Commissioners register of data controllers. Bingo I have been there and you will find that not one of these cowboys or their trade body is registered. So what again? Look at the act again sec 21 (1) Offences. What this means in effect is that by processing your data the cowboy has has committed an act that is illegal not just unlawful and subject to a fine.This means they can't plead mens rea. i.e. lack of intent even in a civil court and of course obtaining money as a result of an offence (or demanding the same) is illegal not just unlawful. "


Any legal bod care to comment on this ?

[Campo]

Forgive me for using common sense but would someone in the DVLA not notice? A raise in the fee would quite quickly stamp out this loss.

[Who me ?]

Apparently with typical local Government mentality, it hasn't been picked up.

[carinaman]

But they always get top marks in their Diversity Awareness training and updates.

You need to see the bigger picture.

[aw51 121565]

carinaman said:

But they always get top marks in their Diversity Awareness training and updates.

You need to see the bigger picture.

You cynic!

[Steffan]

Interesting point raised by the OP. On the face of it that looks as if it might have legs. If registration is required by statute and seeking such information without that nicety in place is illegal, otherwise, the legal conundrum could spring against the parking coys. I will watch with interest.

The nonsense of the undercharging by the DVLA is indeed typical of UK government administration and with our national ability to make a complete horlicks of public administration, then, any attempt to effect a recovery will probably result in an even bigger loss. Seems to be the pattern.

[supersport]

aw51 121565 said:

carinaman said:

But they always get top marks in their Diversity Awareness training and updates.

You need to see the bigger picture.

You cynic!

Yeah, I work in the public sector and HAVE to do an online fire safety training course every year about fires and fire extinguishers. The very last page says "unless you have done the handling a fire extinguisher course then you should simply leave the building" :roll eyes: So i sit through all that ste to be told to ignore it.

Luckily even a halfwit can fast page through it all and answer the question, still a complete waste of 5 minutes. But at least everyone is fire aware.

[carinaman]

My beef with it is that I've been in the room with people that promote that stuff and then happily breach the stuff they peedle in a manner not dissimilar to Judge Briscoe thinking laws don't apply to her and expect people to not notice it.

[Who me ?]

Any more coments.

[SonicShadow]

Campo said:

Forgive me for using common sense but would someone in the DVLA not notice? A raise in the fee would quite quickly stamp out this loss.

Come on now.

[carinaman]

It's for our own good. So we shouldn't begrudge a public sector organisation subsidising the private sector that's just doing what needs to be done if we know what's good for us.

It's our own fault for learning to drive and buying our own cars.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/7720644/Coalition-...

Think of it as a peace dividend.

Edited by carinaman on Sunday 4th May 20:51

[ging84]

carinaman said:

It's for our own good. So we shouldn't begrudge a public sector organisation subsidising the private sector that's just doing what needs to be done if we know what's good for us.

It's our own fault for learning to drive and buying our own cars.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/7720644/Coalition-...

Think of it as a peace dividend.

I think it's our own fault for having the cheek to think it's ok to park on private land, on tarmac which would otherwise be perfectly good for moss farming
We should instead all simply abandon our cars on the public highway nearest where we need to be.

[redback911]

Not just parking tickets. The DVLA will provide driver details to companies pursuing speeding infractions from other European countries. I suppose it makes a change from the usual "we cannot divulge personal information due to the Data Protection Act".