In correspondence to licensing authorities, NAFN confirmed that the Secretary of State has named the NR3S as the designated database.

As confirmed in the letter sent by the Department for Transport (DfT), there are no charges to access the NR3S database (searching and adding records).  However, NAFN membership fees will support the ongoing development of the NR3S database and use of other NAFN services such as:

*             DVLA

*             Credit searches

*             Land registry

*             Investigatory Powers Act data

*             Newsletters

*             Intelligence alerts

*             Access to CPD accredited training, webinars and so much more.

It continued:

"Following the letter from DfT we must ensure all current and future NR3S users are supported to carry out their duties, as laid out in the Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Act (TPHV) 2022.  Please find attached, the revised national guidance.  The guidance critically reflects the inclusion of suspensions and a new Joint Data Controller Agreement, which replaces both the existing data processing and sharing agreements."

The next steps

The nominated single point of contact for each licensing authority will be required to sign the new agreement (via the secure NAFN website) and licensing authorities are asked to ensure the details of your nominated NR3S SPoC are up to date on the system.  If there are any changes, please send the details to NAFN at licencehelp@nafn.gov.uk.

NAFN warned that NR3S SPoCs will be given a 60 day notice period from 27 April 2023 to accept the Joint Data Controller Agreement.  If they do not accept during the grace period, the licensing authority will lose access to the register until signed.