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Road Safety Bill [HL]

My Lords, there may be an element in that. The only thing is that the figures from other countries where this is carried out are not good. The trouble with experience elsewhere—with the sole exception of Northern Ireland, where the figures are not particularly promising either—is that most other countries which permit people to drive under restriction do so because they are permitting people to drive under restriction on roads and in traffic conditions vastly different from those in the United Kingdom. In order for people to be safe once they have passed the test, we need a demanding driving test. That is what we have, and what we are determined to enhance. We entirely accept what the pressure from noble Lords in these debates leads us towards; namely, we must teach for the test and improve its quality as regards drivers. We are alert to the opportunities of enhancing the test through new learning techniques and new technology, particularly the ability to simulate road conditions for drivers, which improve the nature of the test. But the choice is between ensuring that people pass a test that equips them to drive safely or saying that when they have passed that test they still need some form of restrictions, regulations and extra defences beyond that point. We are not convinced on that. It is not a question of me dredging up fresh arguments against the noble Baroness. It is an issue of principle about what we think is the best way forward. Our view is that the quality of the test and enhancing the person’s driving ability before he joins other users on the road are crucial, not attempting to restrict his opportunities to drive under certain circumstances or defining him as a category and protecting and enhancing him because his is carrying an additional plate. The evidence on the latter point is not convincing. I repeat that we are at one with noble Lords in their concerns about newly qualified drivers. We think that the answer is not additional regulation, but improving the quality of the test.