Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 30 November 2016
195. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a person that holds a full driving licence from another jurisdiction such as Kazakhstan, and now holds a learner permit here, must complete 12 driving lessons before applying for a full driving licence. [37790/16]
View answerThere are three different sets of circumstances which may apply to holders of a full driving licence from another jurisdiction who take up residence in Ireland.
First, as Ireland operates within a framework of EU driver licensing law which sets common EU-wide rules for obtaining and exchanging driving licences, people with a full EU driving licence who take up residence in Ireland may - and indeed should - exchange their driving licence for the Irish equalivent.
Second, we may reach bilateral agreements with non-EU states to exchange driving licences. Where such an agreement is in place, people with driving licences from those countries who take up residence in Ireland may exchange their licence for the Irish equivalent.
Finally, in the case of people from non-EU states with which we do not have bilateral agreements on driver licence exchange - and this includes Kazakhstan - we must require people to go through the learner driver process in Ireland, including the mandatory lessons.
I appreciate that this can be inconvenient for people, but there is a responsibility on Government to ensure that people licensed to drive on our roads meet recognisable minimum standards, and where there is no verifiable standard against which we can measure them the only reasonable approach it to treat them as learners.
I do understand, however, that the Road Safety Authority is preparing proposals for a shorter course of required lessons for learner drivers who are already fully qualified in non-exchange countries, and I look forward to considering these proposals when they are submitted by the Authority.
