Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 11 November 2021
230. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Transport if Certificate of Professional Competence in Road Transport Management, CPC, holders who had their licence issued in Northern Ireland were required complete a transport management CPC examination in advance of the end of 2020 with (details supplied) to obtain an equivalent issued here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55313/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra231. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Transport the number of persons who availed of the opportunity prior to the 2020 deadline of swapping their transport management certificate of professional competence for an equivalent issued here; the number of persons that remain to do so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55314/21]
Amharc ar fhreagra232. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Transport the details of the professional competence requirements that now need to be completed to exchange a transport management certificate of professional competence in road haulage issued in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55315/21]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 230 to 232, inclusive, together.
Regulation (EC) No 1071/2009 establishes common rules concerning the conditions to be complied with to pursue the occupation of road transport operator and provides that requisite professional competence is a key requirement to hold a road transport operator licence. Pursuant to this key requirement, Article 4 of the Regulation specifies that a Transport Manager designated by a road transport operator must hold a Transport Manager Certificate of Professional Competence (TM CPC) issued by a competent authority of the EU.
As outlined by the European Commission (notification available at ec.europa.eu/info/sites/info/files/brexit_files/info_site/road_transport_en.pdf), following the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020 a TM CPC issued by a competent authority in the UK, including Northern Ireland, is no longer valid in the EU. This means that a Transport Manager holding a UK-issued TM CPC can no longer act as Transport Manager for an EU-based road transport operator.
My Department received clarification in late November 2020 from the European Commission that holders of a UK TM CPC could request and be granted a corresponding certificate from the competent authority in the Member State where they live or where the road transport operator employing them is established, as long as their request was submitted before the end of the Brexit transition period on 31 December 2020. My Department wrote to all UK (including Northern Ireland) TM CPC holders working for Irish road transport operators to inform them of this position, urging them to apply for a corresponding Irish (EU) certificate.
As a result, a total of 284 corresponding Irish TM CPCs in road haulage and 49 Irish TM CPCs in road passenger transport were issued. It is not possible to quantify the number of UK/NI TM CPC holders who did not avail of the facility to obtain a corresponding Irish certificate, as the number of such individuals who are unidentified to the Department is not known.
As the deadline has now passed for applying for a corresponding Irish TM CPC, any persons holding a UK-issued TM CPC who wish to act as Transport Manager for an Irish/EU operator must obtain a TM CPC issued by an EU Member State. Obtaining an Irish TM CPC requires passing the examination administered by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) on behalf of my Department.
Candidates who already hold a UK-issued TM CPC will not be required to undertake the training course of 100 hours that is normally mandatory before taking the CILT TM CPC examination. The next date for the examination is 24 November 2021 and candidates can register online with CILT for the examination (contact info@cilt.ie).
