Slightly off thread but have been watching the TV this morning on about parking offences/tickets etc.
I was amazed to learn that DVLA can pass your details to other agencies and charge £2.50 for this service. This is, for example, if you park on private land and the owner wishes to take action against you doing so. Apparently when you sign the vehicle logbook when you renew your car tax you are agreeing that DVLA can pass your details on. The interviewer asked the head of DVLA if car owner's were able to withold this permission and the answer was that in law they could not do so.
Whilst I would agree that one shouldn't park illegally or on private land without permission I was somewhat surprised that DVLA can pass these details on and I wonder what checks they do to ensure that agencies asking for details are bona fide.