Simon Jones: U-turn up for the books

Given the current government’s penchant for policy U-turns, the publication and subsequent removal of an exhaustive list of notifiable eye conditions by the DVLA shouldn’t really come as much of a surprise.

As it happens, the decision draws a few parallels with last month’s fiscal statement and backtrack on the 45p tax rate. Neither Swansea nor Westminster saw fit to call upon independent experts to run the rule over the policy and neither wanted to apologise for the chaos that ensued.

On a more serious note, there’s a fair amount to unpack in this story. It’s astounding that the DVLA published such a list, seemingly with no communication, without consulting any optometric sector bodies. As the College of Optometrists stated, the DVLA document contained technical errors and a list of conditions so broad that it would see nearly all drivers having an eye test being required to contact the DVLA. I doubt the DVLA has the capacity to take on extra work in the current climate. It appears to have grossly underestimated the administration and work involved, not just for itself, but for practitioners.