Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 October 2021
335. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider initiating a process to add to the list of states recognised by Ireland for the purpose of providing a driver licence exchange in view of the difficulty in obtaining qualified drivers from outside the State to drive lorries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50985/21]
View answerIreland currently has driving licence exchange agreements with 12 countries and six of the 10 provinces of Canada. These countries are known as recognised states for the purposes of exchanging driving licences. Five of the agreements also recognise categories for trucks and buses.
Officials in my Department and the Road Safety Authority, as the licensing authority in Ireland, are already examining the possibility of entering into exchange agreements with other countries. The RSA has also begun engaging with recognised states to examine the possibility of extending current agreements for car licence exchange to include higher categories.
Reaching a driving licence exchange agreement with another country is a comprehensive process, carried out between the statutory licensing authorities in each state. To ensure the safety of road users, such agreements are reached only when the relevant authorities in each jurisdiction have studied and compared the two licensing regimes and are satisfied that they are comparable. If standards and procedures are not comparable, the process does not continue. The exchange agreement process generally takes over a year from initiation to completion, to provide the thoroughness required to ensure the safety of Irish road users.
