Rules of the Driving Instructors Association
1. NAME
The association shall be called the DIA (“the Association”).
2. OBJECTS
The objects of the Association are the furtherance of the interests of driving instructors, the promotion of road safety and the provision of services to those engaged in driver training and road safety education.
3. CONSTITUTION
a) The Association is a proprietary association, the proprietors and sole managers of which are (subject to the rules) DIA (Int.) Limited (“the Company”).
b) The Company will provide the Association with the Association facilities in accordance with its objects and rules. It will be solely responsible for all expenses connected therewith, for the engagement, dismissal and payment of staff and for all other matters which involve the disbursement of money except as hereinafter provided.
4. COMMITTEES
a) For the management of the Association there shall be the following Committees:
(i) The Management Committee, which shall be charged with the election of the ordinary members of the Association, the provision of services for those engaged in driver training, the general management of the affairs of the Association and in all matters not hereby expressly assigned to any other Committee or reserved for the Association in general meeting.
(ii) The General Purposes Committee, which shall be charged with investigating the needs of and planning for the furtherance of the interests of driving instructors nationwide, with a view to reporting thereon to the Management Committee with its recommendations as to what action should be taken.
(iii) The Education Committee, which shall be charged with recommending to the Management Committee for appointment, the Moderator, Chief Examiner and any other examining officers, providing the administration for the holding and overseeing of examinations and generally working to achieve the raising of standards of driver education.
(iv) The Parliamentary Committee, which shall be charged with reporting to the Management Committee information for presentation to the Government concerning recommendations on the improvement of laws affecting the driving instructor and road safety generally.
(v) The Action Committee, which shall be charged with carrying out duties as required or directed by the Management Committee or General Purposes Committee and reporting thereto as necessary.
(vi) The Regional Committees, of which there shall be not more than five in number, which shall be charged with the gathering and collating of information from the ordinary members of the Association and reporting thereon to the General Purposes Committee.
b) The Management Committee shall consist of:
(i) A Director or other duly authorised officer of the Company.
(ii) Not more than three nominated members being persons from time to time appointed by the Company which may also determine the duration of a nominated member’s term of office.
c) The General Purposes Committee shall consist of:
(i) One person to be appointed from time to time by the Company.
(ii) Not less than two ordinary members of the Association to be elected annually by the members at the Annual General Meeting.
d) The Education Committee shall consist of up to six members appointed by the Management Committee.
e) The Parliamentary Committee shall consist of up to three members appointed by the Management Committee.
f) The Action Committee shall consist of up to three members appointed by either the Management Committee
or General Purposes Committee.
g) The Regional Committee shall consist of as many members as felt necessary and shall be elected by members locally.
h) Two shall constitute a quorum of the Management Committee and all the other Committees save for three being a quorum of the General Purposes Committee.
5. MEMBERSHIP
a) Every candidate for membership of the Association before becoming an ordinary member must:
(i) complete a membership application in the form prescribed by the Management Committee with an undertaking to be bound by the rules of the Association if selected.
(ii) have the application form available for inspection at the Association’s offices at least two days before inspection.
(iii) be elected to membership by a majority of votes at a general meeting of the Management Committee.
(iv) make the first payment.
b) Members must furnish to the Management Committee their current addresses and notify any changes thereafter.
6. GENERAL MEETINGS
a) An Annual General Meeting shall be held in every year and there shall be not more than fifteen months between one Annual General Meeting and the next.
b) A General Meeting of the Association may be summoned at any time on fourteen days’ notice by:
(i) the Management Committee.
(ii) 10% of the members of the Association for the time being as certified by the Secretary.
c) In General Meeting the voting shall be confined to the ordinary members of the Association and every member of the Association shall have one vote and no more upon every question, provided that in case of equality of votes the Chairman of the meeting shall have a second or casting vote.
7. PAYMENTS AND FINANCES
a) Annual payments shall be payable (without demand) on the anniversary date of the first payment and the Management Committee may terminate the membership of an ordinary member whose annual payment remains unpaid within 30 days of such anniversary date provided that the Management Committee may at any time in their discretion restore them to membership upon payment of all arrears of payment then due.
b) The Management Committee shall present at every Annual General Meeting an accurate Report and Statement concerning the finances of the Association for the preceding year.
8. RIGHT OF MEMBERS
a) Every member shall, subject to the rules and bye-laws for the time being in force, be entitled to use and employ in common with the other members of the Association facilities as are more fully set out in the Association’s Prospectus.
b) (i) The Management Committee may terminate or suspend the membership of any member whose conduct whether inside or outside the Association premises is in the opinion of the Management Committee contrary to the interest of the Association or injurious to its reputation.
(ii) Before a member is expelled or suspended their conduct shall be enquired into by the Management Committee and they shall be given an opportunity to defend themselves and to justify or explain their conduct in writing within 14 days. If a majority of the Management Committee present when the matter is enquired into are of the opinion that the member has been guilty of such conduct as aforesaidand that the member has failed to justify or explain it satisfactorily the Management ommittee shall notify the member in writing of their decision and ask them to resign. If they do not resign, then their membership shall be terminated or suspended as the case may be.
(iii) A member whose membership has been so terminated shall forfeit all the privileges of membership and all rights against the Association.
c) Any member who is adjudicated a bankrupt or who makes composition with their creditors under the provisions of any Statute or is convicted of any indictable offence shall therefrom cease to be a member of the Association. Provided that, if their adjudication is annulled or their conviction set aside, the Management Committee may restore them to membership as from the date when they ceased to be a member.
d) A member may resign their membership at any time by letter addressed to the Management Committee at the Association’s office but shall be liable for their payment for the year during which they resign and no refunds will be considered.
9. BYE-LAWS
The Management Committee may from time to time make, vary and revoke bye-laws (not inconsistent with the Rules) for the regulation of the internal affairs of the Association and the conduct of members and the bye-laws in force from time to time shall be binding on members.
10. ALTERATION OF RULES
The Rules may be revoked, added to or altered by the Management Committee. Recommendation to the Management Committee is to be through the General Purposes Committee by a majority comprising two-thirds or more of the members present and voting at a general meeting of the Association of which notice shall have been duly given specifying the intention to propose the revocation, addition or alteration.
11. NOTICES
All notices required by these rules and by the bye-laws to be given to members of the Association shall be given by display in the Association’s Journal or sent by pre-paid letter addressed to a member at the last address which has been furnished to the Management Committee and shall be deemed to have been given on the day when such a letter would have arrived in the due course of post.
12. DISPUTES
Any dispute which may arise as to the meaning or interpretation of these rules or the bye-laws or as to the powers of the officers or Committee or the validity of any election or proceeding of the Committee, shall be determined by the Board of Directors of the Company, whose decision shall be final and binding upon all the members of the Association.
