Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

An endorsement stays on a person's licence for a number of years. If someone does not surrender his or her licence and goes to renew it, the endorsement then begins from the issue of that new licence. There is a great disadvantage to not handing in one's licence. Unless people can renew their licences in some other way, when they go for renewal the endorsement period will begin with the issue of the new licence, because there is a record. I believe an endorsement lasts for five years. If one's licence lapses after three years and one allows any period to pass before renewing it, the five years will start again from when it is renewed. A great difficulty arises if one allows one's licence to lapse. There are checks and balances in the system.