Mr. Eddie Burke:

The licence is not valid; it is not recognised here. To make a distinction, I am referring to somebody who is resident in Ireland. Somebody living in Newry will be fine in that they may drive up and down using a UK licence.

On the question of whether there could be an insurance issue, there could be if a driver does not have a licence. The other insurance issue from a citizen point of view is that people from the North who are driving into Ireland or elsewhere within the European Union will be required to have a green card. The United Kingdom, for its part, confirmed last year that it will accept a motor insurance disc on the windscreen of an Irish vehicle as proof of insurance. Any traffic coming from the North or Great Britain to the South will require a green card unless the European Commission can set a date for which it is not required. So far, it does not intend to do that.