The waiting game
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The news that insulin-treated diabetics could win back their HGV licence after a 20-year ban has been widely welcomed. But when is it happening?
Words: Chris Tindall
DIABETICS DESPERATE to regain their HGV licences say they have been left in the dark about the application process and medical assessments despite the law supposedly changing this month.
A CM investigation discovered that a speciic date for when the new rules will apply has not been agreed. Even then, the DVLA admits it is unlikely that a network of consultant diabetologists will have been set up to assess drivers.
This summer, transport minister Mike Penning announced that laws governing the medical health of motorists would be overhauled in October, after 20 years of professional drivers being forced to give up their Class 2 entitlements.
The government has been under pressure to review licensing laws since it emerged that insulin-treated diabetics are at no greater risk of causing an accident on the roads than anyone else.
Medical assessments
The European Commission has ordered all member states to review legislation and consider offering individual medical assessments to diabetics wishing to gain a licence.
Many ex-HGV drivers were therefore relieved and hopeful when Penning said the rules would change this autumn. But since then, drivers have become confused about the lack of information on how and when they should apply.
A charity for diabetics has raised concerns about the absence of information and says the DVLA has not publicised the changes suficiently. “We would be concerned if the changes are delayed,” says Diabetes UK senior policy oficer Nikki Joule.
“We’re contacted daily by people wanting to know when the changes will come in as they are waiting to reapply for their licence and, in some cases, regain their livelihoods. We think the DVLA should have published the report of its consultation earlier – this has still not been published.” Joule says the charity welcomes the DVLA’s announcement that it will pay for the medical assessments, but she says it has not been able to establish any further information about progress on setting up the network of independent medical assessors. She adds that there could be potential issues over people having to travel to their assessments if assessors are too thinly spread.
The logistics of setting up a network of consultants is a matter exercising the minds of civil servants as well. “Talks are ongoing,” says a DVLA spokesman. “However, when it goes live, we will put in place alternative arrangements in which we will get someone to see an independent diabetologist.” The DVLA also admits it still has not got a date for when diabetics can begin to apply for their HGV licence, even though the deadline is nearing.
This is not a surprise to everyone. Diabetic Roy Craigie says he will try to win back his licence, even though he says he is happy with his new job in manufacturing, as it keeps his options open. However, he says: “It’s a big exercise to do in such a short space of time. I will be surprised if they have everything in place, but we will have to go with it. We will be grateful we are able to do it.”
Fit to drive
Archie Meechan lost his HGV licence in 1991 after being diagnosed with diabetes two years earlier. He has spent years trying to prove he is still it to drive. “Penning’s announcement is the best news I’ve had in 22 years,” he says.
But he has struggled to get any clarity from the DVLA or clinicians about how he can reapply for his licence. “I asked my consultant in July and she said she didn’t know anything about it,” he says.
Although Diabetes UK says it is happy with the progress being made for Class 2 drivers, it has complained about the timescale put in place by the DVLA and queried whether applicants would realistically be able to send in their paperwork in October.
The DVLA spokesman responded: “We understand the concerns and we did everything we could to make the public aware: we put a message on our website and the Directgov website; we informed all GPs who subscribe to an information update service and arranged for posters to be displayed in surgeries; and wrote to everyone who had written to us in the past. We appreciate it was a tight timescale.” n