Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 January 2023
241. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider an exemption for drivers who already have a driving licence from the need to be tested to tow a trailer with a vehicle; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1382/23]
View answerPrior to 13 November 1989, a car and trailer licence was automatically received on passing a driving test in a car.
Vehicle categories were then reclassified for driving licence purposes, with separate categories covering Category B (cars and light vehicles) and Category BE (car or light vehicle and trailer) and the requirement to pass a driving test in the category BE (car & trailer) was introduced.
People licensed to drive with a trailer before 13 November 1989 were allowed to keep this entitlement by indicating this on the application form when renewing their licence. The entitlement could be restored up to ten years after last holding it. If the entitlement to drive with a trailer has lapsed for longer, drivers must apply as learners for the purposes of driving with a trailer.
In 2013, the then Minister for Transport received representations from the Irish Farmers’ Association, suggesting that many farmers who had a pre-1989 car licence had unintentionally lost their trailer entitlement when renewing their licences. The Minister agreed, on a once-off basis, to allow people in this position, whether farmers or not, to reclaim the trailer entitlement where they could prove that they had previously held it. The Road Safety Authority made arrangements to accommodate drivers in this position for a limited period (up to November 2013).
It remains the case that where a person has held the BE category on their driving licence at any time in the last ten years, they can have the category added to their licence without the need to sit a driving test.
The requirement to pass a driving test in category BE (car & trailer) in order to obtain a driving licence in category BE is a legal requirement and is also set out in the EU Directive on driver licensing.
