Vol. 404 No. 9
166 Mrs. Fennell asked the Minister for the Environment if his attention has been drawn to the fact that, under existing regulations, driving licences may not be renewed in advance of official renewal date, thus causing great difficulties for Irish people going to work abroad; if he will consider changing these regulations; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
The Road Traffic (Licensing of Drivers) Regulations, 1989, provide that an application for a renewal of a driving licence shall not be made more than one month before the date of expiry of the current licence.
I understand that licensing authorities will facilitate members of the public going abroad by accepting applications for renewal in advance and, in due course, dealing with the applications in accordance with the regulations and forwarding the new licence.
The Road Traffic Act, 1961, provides that an application for a driving licence may be made only to the licensing authority in whose functional area the applicant ordinarily resides.
