Replies to Questions from Finance Committee Members

Examination of Estimates of Expenditure 2003-04
CONTROLLING OFFICER’S REPLY TO
INITIAL WRITTEN QUESTION
Head : 186 – Transport Department Subhead (No. & title) :
Programme : (2) Licensing of Vehicles and Drivers
Controlling Officer : Commissioner for Transport
Director of Bureau : Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works
Question : What are the manpower resources and expenditure required for the issue of
Group 1 (private car and light goods vehicle) Private Driving Instructor’s
licences? What is the detailed arrangement of the test?
Asked by : Hon. CHAN Kwok-keung
Reply : Existing human and financial resources within Transport Department (TD)
are deployed as far as practicable for the current exercise of issuing new
Private Driving Instructor’s licences. The additional resources incurred
solely by this exercise include $190,000 for modifying the computer
programme, $288,000 for employing contract staff and $28,000 for other
preparations such as printing of application forms, making a total of
$506,000. They are absorbed within TD’s existing provisions.
Gototop
The test is made up of two parts, the written test and the road test. Each
candidate will be allowed only one attempt for each part of the test. In the
current exercise, the number of applicants far exceeds the target number of
licences to be issued. In accordance with the law, the order of the
applications in which they are dealt with will be determined by drawing lots.
Each applicant will be so allocated with a priority number which determines
the order of his being invited to the written test. Only those applicants who
have passed the written test will be invited to take the road test. The
vacancies left by those who fail in the written test or the road test will be
filled by the successors in the queue. Applicants who have passed both
parts will be qualified for issuance of Group 1 Private Driving Instructor’s
Licences, provided that they have not been convicted of “causing death by
dangerous driving” or “driving a motor vehicle under the influence of drink
or drugs” in the past five years.
Signature
Name in block letters ROBERT FOOTMAN
Post Title Commissioner for Transport
Date 20 March 2003
Reply Serial No.
ETWB(T)027
Question Serial No.
1398