§ 109. Mr. Peter Freemanasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence what is the method of training motor drivers for the Defence Forces; what is the average cost per driver and the average period for passing a driving test; and how many drivers are being trained per annum.
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§ Mr. BirchPotential drivers undergo comprehensive courses conducted by trained instructors. To meet Service needs these courses cover many hours of training at the wheel, mechanical training, servicing, map-reading and the highway code. The average cost is difficult to assess as the length of the course depends on the aptitude and knowledge of the pupils but a very rough estimate is £100 as the average cost per driver, and the average period for passing a test is about a month. The number of Service men and women who qualify as drivers is about 25,000 a year.