Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 January 2023
254. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider instructing the RSA to conduct reviews of existing CPC courses for professional passenger and HGV drivers; and if the operational format of the training could be reformed. [1581/23]
View answerThe driver certificate of professional competence process is based on European Union Directive 2003/59/EC on the initial qualifications and periodic training of drivers of certain road vehicles for the carriage of goods or passengers, transposed into Irish law by the European Communities (Vehicle Drivers Certificate of Professional Competence) (No. 2) Regulations 2008 (SI 359 of 2008), as amended.
CPC modules are reviewed on a continuous basis. The latest review on Module 2 is completed and it is expected be rolled out in the coming months. The review of Module 1 is due to start shortly.
Furthermore, the Government's Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 includes an action to review accessibility of driver CPC. This action is being led by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and is due for completion in quarter 2 of this year.
There is no online driver CPC training in place at the current time. EU Directive 2003/59/EC, which introduced driver CPC, was updated in 2018 (EU Directive 645 of 2018) and the amended directive allows for part of the driver CPC training to be completed online. However, most of the training would be required to be completed in a classroom-based environment.
In addition to a general review of the training syllabus, the RSA has begun reviewing options for online training. An external consultant was engaged to conduct a review of the CPC training syllabus and practices. This was carried out throughout November and December 2022 and concluded just before Christmas. The RSA is now awaiting a report on the findings of the consultation.
