Dáil debates

Wednesday, 5 April 2006

Road Safety Authority Bill 2004: Report Stage (Resumed).

 

1:00 pm

Photo of Martin CullenMartin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

The Deputy and I appear to be at cross-purposes because the objective of the Bill is to introduce, for the first time, proper standards and regulation of driving instructors. This is the purpose for which the road safety authority will be established. The authority will be designated as an approved body to issue instruction certificates as envisaged in section 18 of the Road Traffic Act 1968, amended by section 19 of the Road Traffic Act 2002. In accordance with regulations made under these provisions, which will provide for all matters referred to in the proposed amendment other than the regulation of driving schools and the retraining of instructors, section 4(1) states that the road safety authority will have functions in regard to the registration of instructors which will be designated in regulations made under the Road Traffic Acts. This provision was drawn up following extensive discussions with instructors and we are now moving to regulate all training standards for driving instructors. The road safety authority will be an approved body which can issue instruction certificates for the purpose of regulating driving instructors.

As I indicated during discussion of amendment No. 6, the Road Traffic Acts do not provide powers to regulate driving schools, an issue Deputy Shortall raised yesterday, as the provision in section 18 of the Road Traffic Act 1968, as amended by section 19 of the 2002 Act, is intended to regulate individuals while giving driving instructions. Instructors will be tested at regular intervals and removed from the register if found not to meet the required standard. They will not be given a certificate and left to their own devices but will be subject to constant monitoring. It will be a matter for instructors to take appropriate steps to ensure their standard of instruction is up to that required. On that basis, the amendment is not necessary.

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