Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 March 2021
111. Deputy Michael Lowry asked the Minister for Transport the reason for the current delay in the issuing of driving licence cards to persons (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1356/21]
View answerCovid-19 has created difficulties for many public services, including the National Driver Licensing Service (NDLS), which is provided by the Road Safety Authority.
Closures during the initial lockdown last year led inevitably to backlogs, while restrictions on the services, which are necessary in the interests of public health, have reduced capacity since the services reopened leading to delays and backlogs. The urgent health necessity which has led to the re-imposition of Level 5 restrictions has a further impact and front office services are provided to essential workers only.
Due to the resurgence of Covid-19 and to ease pressures on services, driving licences were further extended by EU Regulation with effect from 6 March 2021. This means that driving licences that expired or will expire between 1 September 2020 and 30 June 2021 will be extended by 10 months. In addition, licences that expired during the reference period 1 March 2020 and 31 August 2020 (which were extended for 7 months) and will fall to expire again during the period 1 September 2020 and 30 June 2021 will be extended again for 6 months or until 1 July 2021 whichever is the latest. This extension will help ease pressure and enable the NDLS to improve processing times and deal with backlogs.
Drivers who are affected by the extension are encouraged to check the new expiry date of their driving licence by using the expiry date calculator on www.ndls.ie. They can enter the expiry date printed on the driving licence into the calculator and it will tell them the new expiry date. A driving licence can be renewed within three months of the new expiry date.
