Vol. 534 No. 3
209 Mr. Fleming asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if there are plans or if consideration has been given to granting a limited number of full driving licences to those people who have provisional driving licences for a number of years at this stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10502/01]
EU Directive 91/439/EEC on driver licensing harmonises standards for driver testing by national authorities and requires that persons must undergo a driving test before obtaining a full driving licence. Within this framework, there is mutual recognition of national driving licences within the European Economic Area. It would not be compatible with these arrangements for full driving licences to be granted without the passing of a practical test and, accordingly, Irish national regulations do not provide for this.
