Susan O'Keeffe (Labour) | Oireachtas source

The petitioner had a valid thought in her head, namely, to make Ireland a more welcoming place for foreign drivers. However, the matter of road safety will always be the determining factor. In this matter, the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has stated that it is not a question of which side of the road one drives on, but of whether other countries' driving licence standards are up to ours. I understand the Department's statement to mean that, if other countries wish to seek changes to the swap arrangement, their requests will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. The example provided is of the ongoing negotiations with Canada about potentially swapping licences.

In closing this petition, we might explain to the petitioner that road safety is of paramount importance. We can provide her with the list of countries with which we have a swap arrangement and indicate that, given the fact that other countries may be added to it on a case-by-case basis, the Government keeps an open mind on the matter.