AQW 15503/22-27

Ms Kate Nicholl
Alliance Party
South Belfast

Tabled Date: 23/09/2024
Answered On Date: 07/10/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail any consideration he has given to placing an obligation on GPs and other medical professionals to inform the DVLA when they have deemed an individual medically unfit to drive.

Answer:

The Department for Infrastructure has a statutory duty to be satisfied as to the medical fitness to drive of an applicant for, or holder of, a driving licence, under the Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981.

Standards and guidance for medical professionals in relation to medical fitness to drive are contained in the publication: Assessing fitness to drive: a guide for medical professionals - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) which is issued by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

Doctors and other healthcare professionals have a duty to follow all relevant professional standards and guidelines, including those referred to within the DVLA guidance relating to fitness to drive.

The relevant professional standards for doctors are set by the General Medical Council which are available at: Confidentiality: patients' fitness to drive and reporting concerns to the DVLA or DVA - professional standards - GMC (gmc-uk.org)