asked the Minister for the Environment if he will introduce legislation to provide for the control, standardisation and registering of motor driving schools and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Motor Driving Schools.
18.
There is provision in the Road Traffic Acts enabling the making of regulations in relation to the control of driving instruction for reward. Such regulations are not contemplated at present.
Is the Minister aware that there is widespread abuse of this system? Is he aware that there are cases of people who on the evening they pass their own driving test set themselves up as schools of motoring and charge fees? Would he agree that there should be some standard or some registration of such groups?
Up to now there has not been a clear case made for creating an official control system. Such a system was introduced in Britain but has not operated successfully. It went through a very difficult period and proved very costly. With regard to the number of people who apply for driving tests I should like to tell the Deputy that slightly under 40 per cent of applicants resort to professional tuition with the schools; 60 per cent do not go near them.
The schools with qualified drivers are perfectly in order but it is wrong that they must compete against those who do not have any standards or qualified drivers.
Of course it is wrong and I would expect that those who are prepared to spend money on tuition would at least look for a recognised school or one with a good name. If a clear case is made with regard to abuses or of people who are not able to give proper tuition being involved I would consider bringing in the necessary controls. However, that case has not been made.
Would the Minister agree that people are lured into accepting driving lessons by some concerns because their fee is less than those who operate genuine schools? How are such people to know the genuine schools?
People in any area of the country are surely good judges and are bound to know something about the people who run such schools.
They may know about such people in country areas but not in Dublin city.
Would the Minister agree to introduce a special test for driving instructors?
The Minister has answered this question in 20 different ways.
If a case is made I am prepared to bring in the necessary controls. Complaints have not been coming through to any extent.
Surely the Department should ascertain what the situation is and not wait for complaints to be made?
If the Deputy had been in in time he would have heard that only 40 per cent of applicants go near a driving school.
That 40 per cent are worthy of protection.
We cannot have an argument. We have almost come to the end of Question Time and only 19 questions have been answered due to the recalcitrant attitude of Deputies in asking supplementaries.