Due to the constraints of the DVLA online consultation response form and the time limits of the consultation period, it does not give a great window of opportunity for the petition to the Scottish Parliament to be raised.
We have had meetings and been in correspondence with Danny Alexander MP. We have been in touch with Mary Scanlon MSP, Charles Kennedy MP, Fergus Ewing MSP, David Stewart MSP and the Inverness Provost.
Danny Alexander MP has been given copies of the responses from the PCS union questionnaire that have been received at our local office. Danny Alexander MP focused on the impact on local businesses rather than the other local office users.
No further response has been forthcoming in relation to the information or to the concerns raised at the meeting.
The Inverness Provost has an issue with the economic impact the closure could have on businesses.
The PCS union has produced a questionnaire relating to the possible effect the closure could have on local businesses. It asks about how often businesses use the local office, what they use it for etc.
The staff at the local office have been handing and posting out the questionnaires to businesses that have contact with the office.
The local office in Inverness has received nearly 50 completed questionnaires from businesses throughout the Highlands and Islands relating to the closure, the majority of which feel it could be detrimental to their operations. We have a petition with nearly 1700 signatures opposed to the closure.