Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 November 2012
208. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to harmonise the driving licence regime between Ireland and Canada; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52049/12]
View answerThe Road Safety Authority (RSA) has operational responsibility for approving countries for the recognition and mutual exchange of driving licences, and has been continuing its engagement with the Canadian authorities since I last addressed this matter in response to a Dáil Question of 6 November.
Canadian driver licensing laws are made at provincial level, and this means that the RSA must engage with the provinces individually and compare their licensing systems with ours to see if they are compatible. Equally, the Canadian authorities will need to be convinced of the compatibility of the two systems before any agreement can be reached. As I explained in my response of 6 November, it was decided to prioritise discussions with Ontario, which is now home to a large community of Irish people.
I understand that the RSA has received details of the Ontario licensing system and is now studying them, while the Ontario authorities are currently studying information on the Irish licensing system provided to them by the RSA.
