Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020
345. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Transport the procedures being put in place for those who need to renew a driver licence but who are facing lengthy delays and have been told they are unable to have their existing licence extended. [33370/20]
View answerAll applications for a driving licence must be made through the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS), provided by the Road Safety Authority (RSA). All appointments must be booked in advance as it is not possible to facilitate any walk-ins due to the social distancing requirements and in the interest of protecting the staff and customers. This, of course, has led to an increase in the demand for appointments.
The RSA is working with their providers to see how they can create the additional capacity needed as quickly as possible, while adhering to the return to work protocol. Options being introduced include a combination of additional staff, extended and additional operating hours (i.e. Sundays where needed), and the provision of overtime.
The NDLS booking system is undergoing software changes to cater for the expanded booking window associated with the additional NDLS appointment slots. The introduction of these steps may help ease some of the pressure on the NDLS, free up appointment slots and make it easier to find those slots at local centres.
People under the age of 70 and those that do not need to provide any supporting documentation, can apply to renew a driving licence online provided they have a Public Services Card and a verified MyGovID account. The RSA is continuing work to expand the online facility to accommodate all driving licence and learner permit application types. The NDLS hopes to allow all application types to apply online by mid-November.
People over the age of 70 will be contacted directly by the NDLS and invited to renew their licence or permit by post. Previously only those aged 70 and over who renew their licence on a yearly basis were invited to renew it by post. Given the situation with Covid19, the RSA has expanded the postal renewal option to those over 70 who renew their licence every three years.
Under Covid19 Level 5 Government restrictions, for the next six weeks, applicants can attend an appointment at an NDLS centre provided they are an essential worker involved in the provision of essential services or essential retail outlets. Details on what is included in the list of essential workers and retail outlets is available on www.gov.ie.
Any queries in relation to driving licences or urgent cases can be addressed to the NDLS customer Service at 076 108 7880 or by emailing info@ndls.ie.
