Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 February 2021
122. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Transport if a reply will issue to correspondence (details supplied) on the renewal of approved driver instructor registration; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10048/21]
View answerUnder provisions set out in S.I. No. 203/2009 - Road Traffic (Driving Instructor Licensing) (No. 2) Regulations 2009 the Road Safety Authority (RSA) is legally required to carry out a check test of an Approved Driving Instructor every two years at the very minimum. This test takes the form of an observation by an RSA examiner of a lesson given by the instructor to a learner driver and is considered an essential element in the regulation and continuous professional development of driving instructors.
Driving is a complex and multi-faceted skill and instructors shoulder a considerable responsibility in teaching their students to behave safely and responsibly on the roads at all times. It is for this reason that it is imperative that the RSA have a means of ensuring that all instructors maintain the highest of teaching standards in the years after they have completed their initial qualification. It is important that we do not allow the current pandemic to unnecessarily undermine the very significant progress we have made in reducing the impact of road collisions on public health and health services.
I further understand that the RSA, since resuming check tests in September, has drawn upon a provision in the 2009 regulation permitting the conducting of a test with the examiner playing the role of the learner driver rather than the learner driver themselves. This provision will serve to limit the number of people present in the vehicle for the duration of the check test from three to two and thus reduce the risk of transmission accordingly.
