Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Getting back to the cost-effective service, the reality has been the complete opposite with regard to the NDLS and driving licences. The reality has been the complete opposite. We have the ridiculous scenario where SGS Ireland has the contract for the front office interface, Abtram for the back office processing and another company, Credit Card Systems, CCS, for the plastic card licence. I had a young man, a council engineer's son, who went to America on a J1 visa. Like any working person, he had his licence in the pocket in his shirt and the licence got destroyed. His father got on to the NDLS to see if he could get a licence which he needed in America and he was told his son could not and that he would have to come home and go to the centre. His father said he could not afford to come home because he has a job and is there on a J1 visa. He was told to come home by boat. We talk about the Famine ships. He was told to come home by boat. This is the kind of incompetence and messing that is going on. He would have to come home physically in this modern era with all our technology. He had a passport and everything else; it was just his licence that got washed. He had to stay driving and trying to get to work in America with no licence because it got accidentally destroyed. He was told to come home by boat if he could not afford the flight. That happened. It is on the record and the man is there to prove it.

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