Road Safety

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 February 2012

Tuesday, 21 February 2012

Questions (675, 676)

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

710 Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if the working hours of commercial drivers involved in collisions are checked routinely by investigating members of An Garda Síochána; if any prosecutions have been taken by the Garda on foot of such investigations; if any licences have been withdrawn from commercial drivers or haulage companies as a result of such investigations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9814/12]

Written answers

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (Deputy Leo Varadkar)

In relation to Road Transport Operator Licences issued by the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, details of prosecutions brought by An Garda Síochána or by the Road Safety Authority in respect of breaches of drivers' hours regulations or working time form part of the overall assessment of an operator's good repute, i.e. their suitability to hold a licence. Where the Department needs to check an operator's convictions record, this is done through the Garda Central Vetting Unit, and the check will show up all convictions recorded by An Garda Síochána against the operator, not just those relating to working time or drivers hours, and all of those convictions would be assessed by the Department for their relevance in deciding if the operator is suitable to hold a licence. The Garda Central Vetting Unit record would not indicate if a listed conviction resulted from an actual collision or a routine check. Cases of withdrawals or refusals of operator licences would not involve drivers' hours or working time convictions alone — other serious offences would be involved.

Thomas P. Broughan

Question:

711 Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he intends to introduce a measure to require a commercial driver, living and working in this State for a period exceeding one year, to apply and qualify for an Irish driving licence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9816/12]

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport (Deputy Leo Varadkar)

Commercial drivers are required by law to have a valid driving licence and also a valid Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC). Both the driver licensing and the CPC regimes operate within the wider framework of EU law. Both regimes need to be taken into account in the context of the Deputy's question.

Currently, anyone coming to Ireland with a driving licence from their own country may drive here for up to one year. After this, those with licences from other EU Member States may exchange their licence for an Irish one. However, in respect of these individuals who hold licenses from other EU Member States, under EU legislation relating to the free movement of labour there is no requirement on them to exchange their licence and they are free to continue using their original driving licence for as long as it is valid.

We also recognise licences from certain non-EU States, where detailed comparison has shown that their systems are compatible with ours and these individuals are required to exchange their licence at the expiry of the one year period. Licences from any other jurisdictions are not recognised here and such licence holders must go through the learner process in order to obtain an Irish driving licence at the expiry of the one year period.

The CPC represents a Europe-wide standard for professional drivers, introduced under EU Directive 59 of 2003. People from overseas working as professional drivers in Ireland must have a valid CPC, whether obtained in another EU Member State or in this jurisdiction.