Pat Gallagher (Donegal South West, Fianna Fail)

Under the Road Safety Authority Act 2006 (Conferral of Functions) Order 2006, SI 477 of 2006, the Road Safety Authority has responsibility for the oversight of the operation of the driver licensing system, including the preparation of proposals for draft regulatory provisions relating to driver licensing and testing. In this context, the Road Safety Authority is responsible for bringing forward proposals for the introduction of compulsory initial practical training for motorcyclists.

However, a prerequisite for the introduction of such training is the availability and registration of motorcycle instructors.

The Road Safety Authority is responsible for registering driving instructors. A consultation document, published jointly by the Department of Transport and the Road Safety Authority last May, sets out proposals for the registration of driving instructors and invited submissions to be made by 8 September. Those submissions are being considered by the Road Safety Authority and new instructors are to be registered, as I outlined in detail earlier, from 1 July 2007. It is intended that all instructors will be registered by 1 July 2008.

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