Proposals developed by my Department for the regulation and quality assurance of driving instruction will involve a test of the competence of individual instructors. A working group comprising representatives of my Department and of instruction interests has formulated the design of the standards that a driving instructor must meet. The standard will set out criteria for entry to the driving instructor profession and the three part exam comprising a written exam, a practical driving test and a test of instructional capability that instructors will have to pass in order to be registered.
Responsibility for implementing the standard of driving instruction and establishing a register of driving instructors will be with the proposed road safety authority. I am considering what arrangements will be put in place to oversee implementation of the standard in the context of the establishment of the authority. As part of this process the standard referred to will form the basis for a consultation document to be issued early next year which will set out the requirements with which driving instructors will have to comply in order to be registered.