Written Answers Nos. 105-118
105. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Transport if he will outline plans to change the law to allow bus drivers over the age of 70 years to drive buses up to the age of 75 years; the prosed timescale and conditions of the change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31779/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere is no upper age limit for obtaining a driving licence for any category of vehicle, including buses, provided that the relevant medical report, completed by a registered medical practitioner, accompanies the application.
106. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Transport the reason the National Transport Authority ceased the 88X bus route and curtailed the 51D bus routes; and if the service will be returned. [31780/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Minister for Transport, I have responsibility for policy and overall funding in relation to public transport; however, I am not involved in the day-to-day operations of public transport. The National Transport Authority (NTA) has statutory responsibility for securing the provision of public passenger transport services nationally and for the scheduling of those services in conjunction with the relevant transport operators.
In light of the Authority's responsibility in this area, I have forwarded the Deputy's question regarding the cessation of the 88X bus route and curtailment of the 51D bus routes, to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you do not receive a response within ten working days.
107. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide the register of approved driving instructors including the number of instructors by category; the number of individual instructors who have left the register and the number of new entrants to the register by year since regulation began in 2009; and the number of ADIs giving regular lessons, that is more than 50 EDTs in a year in tabular form. [31797/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Road Safety Authority has direct responsibility for the regulation of Approved Driving Instructors, I have referred this query to the Authority for direct reply.
If the Deputy has not received a response within 10 working days she should contact my office directly.
108. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide details on the approved syllabus for each part of the three part approved driving instructors qualification process; if he will further provide the training resources and syllabus for the biannual check test for approved driving instructors, including information on the training provided by the Road Safety Authority to any candidate who fails their first or second attempt at this test. [31798/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Road Safety Authority has direct responsibility for the regulation of Approved Driving Instructors, I have referred this query to the Authority for direct reply.
If the Deputy has not received a response within 10 working days she should contact my office directly.
109. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Transport if he will provide information on the training provided to approved driving instructors by the Road Safety Authority with particular attention to courses and resources in relation to teaching people with disabilities such as impaired hearing and vision, also dealing with learners with conditions such as dyspraxia, people on the autism spectrum and people with language difficulties or that are non-verbal. [31799/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Road Safety Authority has direct responsibility for the regulation of Approved Driving Instructors, I have referred this query to the Authority for direct reply.
If the Deputy has not received a response within 10 working days she should contact my office directly.
110. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Transport if he will recognise that during the EDT programme the sponsor hours element of the process makes up 75% of the learner drivers required training time; and the way the RSA proposes to regulate those vital hours which are currently seen by most learners as totally optional and difficult to perform due to insurance and financial concerns. [31800/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFor every learner driver, gaining experience on the road driving with a suitably qualified driver, is a vital part of the learning process. While the 12 Essential Driver Training (EDT) lessons are mandatory, there is no mandatory amount of experience to be had outside these lessons. This, and any experience gained outside the mandatory EDT lessons, is not subject to regulation. However, the more experience people have the better and safer their driving will be, and also the more likely they will be to pass a driving test.
I appreciate that insurance is expensive for learner drivers, but insurance companies price policies according to the statistical risk in driver categories, so the Deputy will appreciate that a learner driver with little or no experience on the roads or driving history would carry a significant risk loading for insurance underwriters. As drivers gain experience and accumulate years of incident-free driving, they can expect their insurance costs to drop substantially year-on-year.
111. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Transport his views on the effectiveness of the current EDT system for learner drivers paying particular attention to any improvement in overall deaths or casualties on the roads and to driving test pass rates; his views on the reduced EDT program and the safety related research that was done before this was approved. [31801/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am satisfied that the current Essential Driver Training (EDT) programme is comprehensive in nature and ensures that everyone who successfully passes their driving test is competent to drive on our roads.
The EDT programme provides for a minimum of 12 lessons with an Approved Driving Instructor covering all essential driver skills.
In 2006 a total of 396 people lost their lives on our roads; following the implementation of a wide-ranging set of measures by my Department, this figure was reduced to 137 in 2021. Among these measures is the EDT programme, and I have no doubt that it contributed substantially to the reduction in road fatalities over the last number of years.
In relation to the reduced EDT process, this affects drivers coming to Ireland with a full driving licence from a country with which Ireland does not have a licence exchange agreement. These drivers may well be safe, but we have no way of measuring this. For this reason it was decided that drivers from these countries would be required to undergo the driver theory test and a minimum of 6 EDT lessons before they took the Irish driving test.
Any driver who is not competent to drive on our roads will not pass the driving test. I am satisfied that this process strikes a balance which makes some allowance for the experience of people who hold a full driving licence from another country, while insisting on a driver theory test, a shorter series of driving lessons and a driving test, to ensure that they meet the required standard.
112. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Transport the amount of money approved driving instructors have paid per year for student logbooks and the way the profit is distributed; his views that logbooks should be delivered with the learner permit as this is the first point of contact with learners and that independent contractors should not be expected to cover the costs out of their own pockets. [31802/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Essential Driver Training (EDT) logbook costs €5, which goes towards the costs of maintaining the Road Safety Authority (RSA) MyEDT portal.
The RSA does not set driving lesson prices, which can vary considerably across the sector. It is a matter for each Approved Driving Instructor to set the pricing structure that best suits the inputs required to operate their own particular business model.
113. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Transport the body or authority that established the use of the approved driving instructor check test together and if his Department approved this system as an acceptable form of assessment of approved driving instructors. [31803/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder 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 (ADI) 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. An ADI must be able to demonstrate that they are operating to the standard required.
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 considered an important part of the very significant progress we have made in reducing the impact of road collisions on our public health services.
114. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Transport the number of approved driving instructors that died of Covid and the research, if any, that the Road Safety Authority or the Department of Transport commissioned into the way to safely work in a car and the guidance the RSA shared with ADIs. [31804/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraApproved Driving Instructors (ADIs) are either self-employed or work for a driving school company. As such, there is no employer-employee relationship between ADIs and either the Road Safety Authority (RSA) or this Department. Therefore, there is no information available to this Department of the nature sought by the Deputy.
The RSA issued guidelines on ADIs to assist them to make arrangements to keep themselves as safe as possible during the Covid-19 pandemic. These were in line with the public health advice in place nationwide at the time. Ultimately, it is a matter for each instructor to take measures to ensure their own safety and that of their customers.
The nature of driving lessons means that it requires two people to be within 2 metres of each other for a period of up to an hour at a time. It was up to each driving instructor, as regulations permitted at various points during the pandemic, to make their own decisions about whether to provide driving instruction or not. Those that opted not to work were eligible for the PUP payment.
115. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Transport the number of driving tests cancelled due to driving testers being positive for Covid. [31805/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe operation of the national driving test service is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority and the information requested is held by them. I have therefore referred the question to the Authority for direct reply.
I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
116. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Transport the number of approved driving instructors that did not renew their registration over the full duration of the register and in the past 3 years. [31806/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Road Safety Authority has direct responsibility for the regulation of Approved Driving Instructors, I am sending this query to the Authority for direct reply.
If the Deputy has not received a response within 10 working days she should contact my office directly.
117. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Transport the costs to his Department and or the Road Safety Authority associated with developing a NCT centre at Smithstown, Shannon, County Clare before such a development was cancelled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31807/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra118. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Transport if a suitable alternative location for the proposed new NCT centre for Shannon, County Clare has been found; the timeframe that is being placed on the proposed development being operational; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31808/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 118 together.
I propose to take PQs 31807/22 and 31808/22 together.
The operation of the National Car Testing Service, including the allocation and deployment of its resources, is the statutory responsibility of the Road Safety Authority. I have therefore referred the Deputy's question to the Authority for direct reply.
I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response has not been received within ten days.
