Sharaz Iqbal v Registrar for Approved Driving Instructors

Facts

The appellant sought to qualify as an Approved Driving Instructor. He passed Part 1 of the Qualifying Examination on 20 May 2024 and Part 2 on 12 August 2024. He held two trainee licences, valid from 26 November 2024 to 25 November 2025, which allowed him to give paid instruction before qualifying. On Part 3, he cancelled a first attempt booked for 17 February 2025, failed on 20 June 2025 and failed again on 3 February 2026. He arrived late for a third attempt on 11 May 2026, so that test could not be completed. A further attempt was booked for 3 August 2026. On 22 November 2025, before the second licence expired, he applied for a third trainee licence. The Registrar for Approved Driving Instructors refused the application on 22 January 2026. The appellant appealed to the First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber). He argued that the Registrar had not fully considered his individual circumstances and commitment, and that examiner shortages and testing backlogs had reduced his training and assessment opportunities. He also said that his active pupils would be disrupted. The Registrar maintained that trainee licences are not an alternative to registration and that refusal does not prevent the appellant from sitting Part 3. Neither party attended the hearing, and the appeal was determined on the bundle.