On 31 March 2022, the Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Safeguarding and Road Safety) Act 2022 received Royal Assent. Statutory Guidance was published on 23 May 2022. From 7 April 2023, the Act places new duties on PHV licensing authorities in England. The Act contains provisions that require licensing authorities to record information relating to drivers’ licensing histories (refusals, revocations or suspensions) on a National Register. Furthermore, before a licensing authority in England decides whether to grant or renew a driver licence, it must search the Register for any entry relating to the applicant.
Whenever a taxi and PHV licensing authority processes a new application or renewal, it is required to check the NR3S Register at a suitably early stage of the process to confirm whether the applicant was subject to a previous licensing decision of which they should be aware. A licensing authority must not base its decision solely on an entry on the database. Every application must be considered on its own merits.
Data Protection and Privacy
We use the database to ensure the fitness and propriety of licence holders as part of the application process. We do this following the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and human rights law.
We might also use the information provided by applicants to prevent or detect crime, to protect public funds, or in other ways as permitted by law. This can include passing information to certain third parties.
We are registered with the National Anti-Fraud Network (NAFN) who host the register.
We are transferring all of the existing, relevant data that we hold into the database. According to the NAFN retention policy, it will be held for 11 years.