§ Mr. Lawrenceasked the Minister of Transport (1) whether he is satisfied that enough is being done to restrict the activities of pirate driving instructors; and if he will make a statement;
(2) whether all pirate driving instructors coming to the notice of his Department are prosecuted; and if any are not, for what reasons.
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§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeAll written complaints of illegal driving instruction made to the Department are investigated. Prosecutions are undertaken if sufficient evidence is forthcoming. I am satisfied that the Department does all it can to limit illegal instruction, consistent with the resources available for this task. The police also bring a number of prosecutions.
§ Mr. Lawrenceasked the Minister of Transport what proposals he now has for the abolition of the driving instructor's trainee licence.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeI am aware of the criticisms of the trainee licence system, but it does provide the means for potential instructors to gain the experience necessary to qualify for admission to the register. Some training courses have been introduced by the driving instruction profession; if developed further these might eventually meet this need. We are keeping this whole question under review, but there are no immediate plans to abolish the licence.