Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in relation to the learner drivers and their training requirements, his plans to revise the current system of licensing or plans to introduce off-road driver training requirements for learner drivers. [43834/12]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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We are in the process of introducing a Graduated Driver Licensing System (GDLS) in Ireland, which will include nine components developed by the Road Safety Authority and published in September 2010.  A GDLS is a stepped approach to the driver learning process which focuses on acquiring experience and skills rather than simply on passing a test.

A number of the GDLS components have already been introduced and include compulsory lessons for learner drivers.  Last year I signed the regulations to bring this into effect.  Learners must now complete a syllabus of twelve lessons before they are allowed to take the driving test.  A lower Blood Alcohol Concentration level applies since last year for learner drivers and those in their first two years of having a full driving licence. Some additional GDLS measures require primary legislation, such as an accelerated penalty point disqualification threshold for learner and novice drivers and the actual defining of a novice driver, which will be included in the next Road Traffic Bill. This will complement the measures already in place. However, I do not have any plans, in the context of GDL, for specific off-road lessons at this time.