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Driving Licences (Diabetics)

Volume 302: debated on Monday 1 December 1997

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To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what medical conditions are specifically identified in legislation as preventing a person holding a licence enabling them to drive a vehicle in Groups C and D. [17392]

Section 92 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 requires the Secretary of State to refuse to grant a licence if he is satisfied that an applicant is suffering from a relevant disability. Relevant disabilities which are a bar to the holding of a Category C or D licence are:

inability to read a number plate under prescribed conditions;
eye abnormality which prevents a person from meeting prescribed visual acuity standards, or sight in one eye only;
diabetes requiring insulin treatment;
epileptic attack or treatment for epilepsy within the previous 10 years;
liability to seizures other than as a result of epilepsy;
liability to disabling giddiness or fainting, including as a result of an implanted electrical cardiac device;
severe mental disorder;
persistent misuse of alcohol or drugs;
becoming a High Risk Offender as a result of disqualification for a drink/drive offence; and
any other disability which is likely to lead to a danger to other road users.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the implications of the proposed restrictions on issuing driving licences to people with insulin-dependent diabetes on those whose current employment requires them to drive vehicles in Groups C and D; if he will review such restrictions to allow licences to be granted in very exceptional cases; and if he will make a statement. [17393]

Legislation has since 1991 prohibited the grant of category C and D licences—giving entitlement to lorries over 7.5 tonnes and buses with more than 16 seats—to insulin dependent diabetics. The provisions which come into force on 1 January 1998 apply only to those having entitlement to drive vehicles in category Cl (lorries up to 7.5 tonnes) and category D1 (minibuses) obtained through passing a test to drive cars. The D1 entitlement is qualified "Not for hire or reward" and holders should therefore not be employed as drivers. It is impossible to establish the number of people who are employed as drivers of Cl vehicles who are insulin-dependent. In any case a number of studies by experts in the field on the consequences of insulin treatment have shown that insulin treatment leads to a significant risk of hypoglycaemia. This can lead to loss of consciousness, as well as other effects such as diminished judgment. It is well established that hypoglycaemia can occur without warning and a number of accidents have directly resulted from this. The Honorary Advisory Panel on Diabetes and Driving have advised that there are, in their judgment, no exceptional cases, and confirmed that granting licences to drive lorries up to 7.5 tonnes and minibuses to those who are insulin-dependent is not in the interests of road safety.