33.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2), within five years after this regulation comes into force, and thereafter within five yearly intervals, the Secretary of State must cause to be carried out, by an appropriately qualified and independent person, an assessment of—
(a)the procedures for the training, skills assessment and examination of train drivers, and
(b)the system for the issue of train driving licences and train driving certificates,
under these Regulations.
(2) Paragraph (1) does not require the duplication of any assessment already required by and carried out under the safety management system of a railway undertaking or infrastructure manager.
(3) The Secretary of State must provide the results of each assessment to the ORR, railway undertakings and infrastructure managers.
(4) The ORR, railway undertakings and infrastructure managers must give due consideration to the results of each assessment and any recommendations given in them and take any action reasonably appropriate to remedy any shortcomings identified.