Gary Richard Langley v Registrar of Approved Driving Instructors

Facts

The appellant, Gary Richard Langley, sought registration as an approved driving instructor. He had held a trainee driving instructor licence from 17 April 2023 to 16 April 2024, and was then granted two further trainee licences covering a total of 12 months, from 2 December 2024 to 8 December 2025. On 24 November 2025 he applied for a further, third, trainee licence. The Registrar of Approved Driving Instructors gave notice of an intention to refuse, and the appellant made written representations on 19 December 2025 explaining that he had had difficulties obtaining a Part 3 test date. By a decision dated 9 February 2026 the Registrar refused the application, reasoning that 12 months of trainee licensing was more than adequate to gain sufficient expertise to pass the Part 3 test, that Parliament had not intended a trainee licence to be issued for however long a candidate might take to qualify, that the trainee licence system must not become an alternative to full registration, that no trainee licence was required in order to sit the Part 3 test, and that the appellant's second trainee licence remained valid pending determination of any appeal, giving him over 20 months in practical terms. The appellant appealed to the First-tier Tribunal on 16 February 2026.