Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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156. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the details of the plan to expand driver lessons to non-essential workers; the expected timeline for the plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38935/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Road safety policy during the pandemic has depended on public health decisions taken by Government, on the advice of the National Public Health Emergency Team.

There is currently no legal impediment to the provision of driving lessons, provided public health guidelines are adhered to. However, the position is that these lesson can resume where the learner in question is willing to book a class and the instructor is willing to teach it. It does not mean that instruction has to resume, or that driving instructors are obliged to teach against their will.

However, as the Deputy will be aware, approved Driving Instructors (ADIS) are entirely independent operators and neither the Road Safety Authority nor the Department can dictate how they run their individual businesses. It is up to each driving instructor or driving school to make the appropriate choices to protect themselves and their families.