Debate contribution: Motor Vehicles (Specified Restrictions) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026

Debate contribution by Ms Liz Kimmins on 23 June 2026.

MLA

Ms Liz Kimmins

Party at the time

Sinn Féin

Date

23 June 2026

Type

Debate contribution (made as a minister)

Business

Executive Committee Business

Heading

Motor Vehicles (Specified Restrictions) (Amendment) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2026

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5637244

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle.

I genuinely want to thank everyone for their contributions to the debate. First, I want to acknowledge the work of the Committee to complete its scrutiny. This has been a fast-moving process, some of which has been out of my control, but we are keen to get it in place for all the reasons that Members have outlined here today. Road death figures continue to rise, which is an incentive, but that is not to say that we are rushing it through. I also pay tribute to my officials, who have worked diligently to ensure that the Committee and Members have had the information that they needed to enable us to get to this stage. I am very grateful for everyone's work in relation to that. I will deal with some of the points raised. First, I will address some of the concerns expressed by driving instructors. I declare an interest, which is that my brother-in-law is a driving instructor. Comprehensive, step-by-step guidance and support materials will be made available to approved instructors and supervising drivers. A young person does not need an approved instructor to assist them with that aspect. The guidance will clearly set out their respective responsibilities, the standards expected during supervised practice and practical approaches to support new learner drivers effectively. The guidance will also include detailed information on the use of the learner logbook and the associated programme materials. The Department will continue to review and enhance those resources to ensure that supervising drivers are appropriately informed and supported. I hope that it gives comfort to know that that is not set in concrete and can be updated to reflect changing needs, as well as things that may change outside of that. The guidance itself was intended to promote compliance, to reinforce road safety, which is at the core of this work, and to ensure that there is a consistent understanding of the new arrangements. I hope that that, in itself, will provide reassurance that we will do everything that we can to support people in the time ahead, particularly the approved driving instructors and supervising drivers. Harry Harvey asked about the lifting of the 45 mph speed limit for newly qualified drivers. The rationale behind removing that is to allow learner drivers to be taught how to drive at speeds appropriate to the conditions. Even as a learner driver or a new driver, we will all have experienced trying to drive at 45 mph on a motorway or a dual carriageway, which is very challenging, particularly given the speed of other drivers. In some circumstances, it is particularly dangerous, and that was recognised. Raising the limit will help them to build confidence and experience in coping with those types of environments when they are out on the roads and build that into their ability in the longer term. The requirement is to drive safely at up to posted speed limits once they have passed the driving test and are driving independently, and the change is to reflect that that is a real situation as opposed to having to do it at a lower limit.

A lot of Members raised the insurance issue. I agree. We need to look at everything that we can do to address what are extortionate insurance premiums, particularly for new drivers who have just got a new car. My colleague here told me about his experience with his young people, where some quotes were more than £7,000. If that had been the case when I was newly driving, I definitely would not have got a car. I would not have been able to. Addressing that is in the interest of equality, to ensure that everyone has access to learning to drive. I have engaged with the Association of British Insurers and have had a number of meetings to look at what will have an impact. The evidence shows that, in other jurisdictions where the GDL model is in place, it has had an impact. Insurers assess premiums on the basis of risk, and, in essence, GDL will reduce the risk in time. Drivers' skills and confidence on the roads will improve, which will improve road safety. That has the potential to bring down insurance premiums. Like everything, it will take some time, but we will monitor it closely while looking at what else we can do. The Member rightly said that things go across different Departments. There is also a role for DOJ in relation to claims management, and I have had discussions on the matter with the ABI. We need to recognise the real and significant challenges facing our young people in particular when they are trying to obtain car insurance. Given that we have such a large rural community, we recognise that, for some people, having access to their own car is the only option for getting out and about, whether that is to work or for other reasons. We recognise that that is a significant issue, and we need to address it. We have some pathways to ensure that we can make progress on that.

The key point is that we recognise that not everybody will be ready for the driving test, even with the eagerness to get ahead of the new system. We have to remember that the six-month period is not for someone who already has a provisional driving licence. It takes effect from the date on which they get their provisional licence. If someone has had their provisional licence for some time, it will not affect their ability to progress. It is important to clarify those points. When I introduced GDL, we recognised that it would be the biggest transformation of driver licensing in 70 years. It is the biggest reform, and I recognise that there are many technicalities to it. Yes, I agree with the Member that it should not have sat for 10 years, but things beyond our control restricted our ability to progress. When I came into post on the back of the work that John O'Dowd had done when he was Minister, a lot of the delay in getting to this stage was to do with progressing the digital app and moving things over. It has been a huge piece of work, but I am really pleased that we are where we are today, and I thank the Committee and Members for their support in getting it progressed. I ask the Assembly to approve the regulations today.

1,084 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 16:11 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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