Driver Vehicle Licensing Agency
1. Introduction
1.1 This guide reflects relevant guidance in the Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees published by the Government Office for Science and the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
1.2 You must confirm acceptance of the offer of an appointment as a panel member or chairperson in writing. In doing so, you are confirming that you understand the purpose of your appointment and what is expected of you in your role. You are also agreeing to these terms and conditions, including the required commitments and the expected standards of conduct.
2. Role of panel members
2.1 Terms of reference for the panels are set out at Annex A.
2.2 You are being appointed as an individual and not to represent the interests of any organisation.
3. Responsibilities of panel members
3.1 Induction
You will be invited to attend an induction day in Swansea. You must familiarise yourself with the induction pack provided to you after you have been appointed.
3.2 Further training
You may be invited to attend training days where information can be shared between panel expert members and DVLA doctors to give greater insight on the medical standards and how they are applied on a practical level. This may contribute to Continual Professional Development/Continuing Medical Education days.
3.3 Panel work
The role of all panel members and how they are expected to contribute to the work of the panel is set out at Annex B.
The role of expert members is set out at Annex C.
If you are being appointed as a panel chair, you will have the additional responsibilities set out at Annex D.
The role of a lay member is set out at Annex E.
4. Terms of appointment
4.1 As an expert panel member or chairperson, your first appointment will be up to a period of five years. You may be appointed for a second five-year term subject to the agreement of the Minister, although your total service on the panel in any capacity cannot exceed 10 years. Only in exceptional circumstances, will consideration be given to extending the duration of service beyond 10 years. This will be subject to theagreement of the Secretary of State. Lay Members are appointed for a maximum period of five years.
4.2 During your tenure, you will need to demonstrate satisfactory attendance at panel meetings, provide a valuable contribution to panel discussions and actively support the work of the panel. Expert members must remain registered with the relevant professional bodies, or active with the relevant clinical practice, academic institutions or research communities to ensure the retention of their specialist skills and expertise. Expert members must also keep abreast of ongoing developments in their field of specialism.
4.3 The Secretary of State reserves the right to terminate your appointment at any time, especially if there are concerns about your ability to perform your duties to the required standards or in the case of medical expert members, you cease to perform an active role in your area of specialism, for example, you are no longer in clinical practice or the relevant research/lecturing post that you were in at the time of your appointment.
4.4 The terms of appointment may be shorter for those members who have been appointed to deliver specific projects or tasks.
5. Declaration of interests
5.1 The panels effectiveness depends on maintaining the highest levels of credibility, confidence and trust with the public and stakeholders. It is essential to protect the Secretary of States reputation for objectivity and integrity by identifying andappropriately managing actual, potential and perceived conflicts of interest.
5.2 Before you are appointed to the panel, you must declare any personal or business interests, which might influence your judgement as a panel member or could be perceived by others to influence your judgement. These include:
- personal interests, such as membership of an organisation for example, a patient or professional support group
- commercial interests, such as shareholdings or business partnership within a pharmaceutical organisation or commercial laboratory
- non-personal interests, such as research and applications for grants in areas where panel support could be considered a benefit
5.3 Panel members will be prompted to update their declaration:
- before each panel meeting, a declaration of interests form will be enclosed with the agenda and panel documents
- at the start of each meeting, verbally by the panel chair
5.4 It is the panel members individual responsibility to identify and declare interests at the earliest opportunity and to ensure this declaration remains up to date, including the prompt disclosure of any new appointments. These interests will be included on a register published on GOV.UK.
5.5 Where members are uncertain as to whether an interest should be declared, they must seek guidance from the panel chair or secretariat.
5.6 You are expected to register both financial and non-financial interests. You must also declare interests of close family members and persons living in the same household, which are closely related to the activities of the panel. These details willnot be included on the published register unless there is a conflict.
5.7 You must also declare interests at each meeting where they are relevant to any agenda items that are going to be discussed. You must state whether the interests are personal or non-personal and whether they are specific or non-specific to thematter or product being discussed.
5.8 All potential conflicts of interest declared will be open to panel and public scrutiny.
5.9 Each panel chair will decide whether interests declared conflict with the role of a panel member and what action should be taken in any given situation.
5.10 The register of interests will include those that might influence the judgement of a panel member, or might be perceived by others to influence his or her judgementduring the exercise of their panel duties.
5.11 Political activity is not a bar to appointment but you must declare any significant political roles you are performing or have undertaken in the five years before your appointment to the panel. Subject to this, you are free to engage in political activities provided that you are conscious of your general public responsibilities and exercise discretion.
5.12 You must also declare interests at each meeting where they are relevant to any issues that will be discussed.
6. Conduct
6.1 You are expected to abide by the Seven Principles of Public Life.
6.2 In line with these principles, panels operate from a presumption of openness, but this must remain compatible with the need to protect the privacy of individuals. Youwill be expected to respect the confidentiality of personal medical and licensing details that may be disclosed during panel discussions or the consideration of individual cases outside scheduled meetings.
7. Expenses and remuneration
7.1 Your actual reasonable travel and other expenses incurred in performing your duties will be met in accordance with the Travel and Subsistence policy for the Secretary of States Honorary Medical Advisory Panel Members. This has been agreed in line with DfT policy.
7.2 As an expert panel member or chair, you will be required to review individual cases outside of routine meetings, where the condition is relevant to your area of expertise. DVLA will pay a standard fee for the consideration of a complex licensingcase. It is vitally important that you provide the DVLA with a response within 4 weeks so that the case may be progressed. Failure to provide a response could delay an important licensing decision that may have road safety implications, or result in unnecessary complaints. If you are unable to complete a report within the required timeframe, you must inform DVLA of this to allow for alternative medical opinion to be sought in a timely manner.
7.3 The fees paid are subject to annual review but are currently:
- 102.50 for a report based on documentary evidence
- 136.50 for a report requiring a consultation
8. Liabilities
8.1 You are protected from any personal civil liability incurred in the execution of your panel functions where you have acted honestly, reasonably and without negligence. You will not be personally liable for any expenses or compensation in connection to claims made against you where you have acted in good faith; however, you may wish to advise your personal professional indemnity organisation of your role, for theirinformation. This is in line with the Government commitment set out in the Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees (paragraph 50).
9. Working practices
9.1 You are expected to be familiar with, and comply with, the workin