Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the fact there will be extra signage in place. There is better signage for the other businesses in Ballybrit than there is for the NDLS offices there.

Will the Minister engage with the RSA on the requirement for people to appear personally at the Ballybrit NDLS office? I already mentioned how this affects the elderly. Emigrants working away from home will find it impossible to have their driving licences renewed too. Young Galway emigrants, as the Minister of State knows, are living and working in Australia, Canada, the United States and other countries. They will also find it impossible to have their driving licences renewed or permits issued if they cannot travel personally to the NDLS centre.

The RSA should review having an express postal system similar to that for passport applications which would involve the Garda verifying the applicant’s identity and sign his or her photograph. This would be a practical and efficient way to do business. I hope the RSA will review this as the requirement to attend the NDLS office puts a lot of trouble on people to travel to a centre which they might not be used to travelling to. This requirement also inconveniences many in rural areas as Galway is the second largest county. Whether one is elderly or an emigrant, one will find it difficult to apply or renew a driving licence if this requirement is not changed.

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