The Approved Driving Instructor’s (ADIs) Stakeholders Forum was initiated by the RSA to provide a platform for the strategic development of the driving instruction industry in Ireland. The Forum comprises the ADI Chief Examiner and ADIs who are elected by their peers to represent the views of their colleagues and are supported by an RSA administrative team.
The establishment of the Forum reflects the importance of active engagement and consultation with the driving instruction industry by the Road Safety Authority, while respecting the fact that the industry is made up of very many and varied enterprises, many if not most of whom are sole traders or other forms of microenterprise. It therefore takes into account the provisions of competition law which preclude any form of anti-competitive collusion or collective action by such enterprises.
The Forum elects an independent Chairperson who reports directly to the Registrar on matters requiring his or her attention. Forum members in turn report directly back to their ADI’s and the Stakeholders they represent, seeking views on relevant issues and reporting those views back to the forum for discussion.
Forum members represent a geographical area linked to ADIs working in each of the nine Driver Testing regions, with two additional representatives, one for North Leinster and one for South Leinster. The total number of ADI representatives on the forum can be up to 11 persons.
Elections are normally held every 3 years, but the election due in Autumn 2020 was deferred to early 2021 due to reasons relating to the Covid-19 restrictions.
Forum members are requested to attend at least 3 meetings per year. In order to be most effective maximum attendance whenever possible is required. If a Forum member fails to attend two consecutive meetings without informing the Chairman, the Forum may consider inviting nominations for a replacement member from within the relevant Driver Testing region.
Any ADI wishing to be considered for a position on the Forum must themselves be a fully registered ADI and have their nomination form counter signed by a minimum of five ADIs in their immediate regional Driver Testing area. Where there is an oversubscription of nominations for the Forum, geographical and demographical considerations apply.
