Why does it take 2-4 weeks for a V5C?

[pariah]

I'm a UK national but currently expat. I was planning on flying into the UK in a couple of weeks, buying a bike and then riding over to Sweden/Finland. I say planning because it looks like it will take anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks to get the V5C change of ownership processed. And I can't technically ride the bike abroad until I get this.

Why, in this age of databases, autoprinting and the web, does it take so long to issue a standard change of ownership registration certificate?