Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has considered introducing Graduated Driver Licenses for new drivers, in the context of levels of car insurance.

Driver licensing is devolved in Northern Ireland and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Whilst we are not considering Graduated Driver Licensing in Great Britain with further restrictions on newly qualified drivers, such as carrying passengers or driving at night, we are consulting on a Minimum Learning Period before learner drivers can take their practical driving test. This would allow learners more time to gain essential experience, for example in different weather conditions, before driving independently and reduce the risk to themselves and other drivers.

If the number of collisions involving young drivers and novice drivers fall overall, then this could lead to a reduction in insurance premiums for younger drivers.

It is also important to note that motor insurers are responsible for setting the terms and conditions of the policies that they offer and it is for them to decide the level of risk that they take in issuing any policy to a given applicant. Motor insurers use a wide range of criteria to assess the potential risk a driver poses and this includes the age of the applicant, the type of vehicle being insured, the postal area where the applicant lives and the driving experience of the applicant. The setting of premiums is a commercial decision for individual insurers based on their underwriting experience and the Government does not intervene or seek to control the market.