Part 2: Other measures relating to business Goods, passenger and public service vehicles Section 14: Temporary reduction in duration of certain driving licences
Section 14(1) provides that a licence which falls within section 14(2) which is granted in the period beginning 17 April 2020 and ending with 24 March 2022 will have a duration of one year. The period 17 April 2020 to 24 March 2022 is the period between the start of implementation of the temporary scheme to issue short licences and the end of the period the Coronavirus Act 2020 remains in force. Section 14(1) does this by changing how section 99(1A)(a)(ii) of the Road Traffic Act is read in the circumstances. Section 99(1A)(a)(ii) governs the duration of licence entitlement issued between the ages of 45 and 65. In line with the policy intention, limiting the temporary power to issue 1-year licences under this provision, excludes from the scheme applicants for new licences for whom the requirement to provide a medical report has not been waived. It also excludes holders of car licences issued before 1997, who require a D4 to renew entitlement to drive small lorries and minibuses when renewing the licence at age 70.
	Limiting the duration of the licence to 1 year is in line with the duration of licences issued under other provisions in the Act where risks to road safety are considered to be highest (e.g. where drivers have a medical condition which is most likely to affect their fitness to drive or they are over 65).
	Section 14(2) restricts the power in section 14(1) to grant a 1-year licence to those for goods vehicles and passenger carrying vehicles, and only once per applicant and only where the Secretary of States decides not require a medical report.
	The issue of a licence without a D4 medical report presents a road safety risk, which is considered to increase the longer that the driver is allowed to remain on the road. For this reason, it is not considered appropriate to allow drivers to continue driving for longer than 1 year without submitting a D4. The section makes clear that the option to issue a second 1-year licence to an individual under the scheme is not available.
	There are also occasions, where the Secretary of State’s existing discretion is routinely applied because the road safety risk is not considered sufficient to warrant asking the licence applicant to submit a further D4 when one has been provided recently. Section 14(3) ensures that these applications are not affected by the provision to reduce the duration of the licence issued under section 99(1A)(a)(ii).