Ethan Kerr v Registrar of Approved Driving Instructors

Facts

The appellant, Ethan Kerr, applied on 16 February 2026 for a further, and third, trainee driving instructor licence. The Registrar of Approved Driving Instructors refused that application by a decision dated 30 March 2026, having taken into account representations received by letter on 20 February 2026. The Registrar's reasons were that there was no evidence the appellant had lost training time; that he had already held two trainee licences covering the period 3 March 2025 to 2 March 2026, which was more than adequate time to gain sufficient experience in driving tuition to pass the Part 3 test and so qualify for entry on the Register of Approved Driving Instructors; and that Parliament had not intended a trainee licence to be issued for however long a trainee took to pass the Part 3 test, the trainee licence system not being permitted to become an alternative to registration as a fully-qualified instructor. The Registrar also observed that refusal did not prevent the appellant taking a Part 3 test, for which no trainee licence was required, and that his existing second licence remained valid until determination of the appeal, giving him almost 19 months in total. The appellant appealed by Notice of Appeal dated 6 April 2026, relying on a lack of available Part 3 test dates. The appeal was determined on the papers at his own request.