DVLA slammed over driver details being sold

DVLA slammed over driver details being sold

An MP has criticised the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) for selling the details of vehicle owners to private businesses. A company can contact the DVLA armed only with number plate details and for around £5 can get the owners address and details.

It is taken for granted that the police and local authorities can contact the DVLA for these purposes, simply because they enforce laws etc, but companies that operate parking schemes and who are agents for car park owners can also get vehicle owners details in order to issue fines.

One such case is that of Cindy MacLeod, she parked outside a burger bar and a few days later received a £95 fine from a company called UK Parking Control.

Cindy MacLeod, said: "I'm angry that my personal details can be handed out to a company without me knowing anything about it.

"Whatever happened to data protection?"

"We hadn't noticed when we arrived that you're only allowed to park outside the restaurant for an hour.

"But we were in there for longer because it took 25 minutes to get served and there was a large group of us."

Livingston Labour MP Jim Devine, called it a "charter for burglars" and went on to say: "I find it totally unacceptable that the DVLA can sell to private security companies the home addresses of people throughout the UK.

"This is nothing more than a charter for burglars and the Government needs to close this loophole."

A spokesman for the DVLA, said: "There is certain information handed out from our database in relation to parking and traffic offences, providing they can provide reasonable cause to need that information.

"Any company that contact us need to be a member of an accredited trade association."

This is worrying as just about anyone can obtain details of vehicle owner, by simply taking down their number plate, what happens to this data and who has access to it is anyone’s guess.

Source [Daily Record]

Personallyyours.co.uk who is registered with the DVLA has been in the personalised number plate industry for twenty years. They provide private number plates, rare number plates, attend number plate auctions and buy cherished number plates.

http://www.personallyyours.co.uk/blog/05062008.htm