Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister's last point was that the Department and other bodies are advising people to swap their licence before the end of this month. Is the Minister satisfied that there will be sufficient personnel to deal with the upsurge in applications for new driving licences? Will these applications be processed in a timely manner?

Second, the Minister did not answer the question of what engagement he or his officials have had with insurance companies on the possible consequences for people's insurance premiums, given the fact that they will now be driving on new Irish licences that have only been issued this month. Will their previous records be recognised? We all have heard anecdotal evidence that people who have driven in Ireland previously come home after a year or two abroad and find all their past records are null and void and are not taken on board. They are effectively first-time applicants from an insurance perspective. What engagement has the Minister had with the motor insurance industry to ensure that the insurance premiums of people who transfer their licences will not be affected?

As the Minister knows, I have spoken on a number of occasions about the availability of driving licences to asylum seekers. They are not available to asylum seekers in Ireland. They are available in the UK, and there are a small number of asylum seekers here who have UK licences. I assume they will not be able to transfer them. Perhaps the Minister could clarify.

I refer to the huge efforts the Minister and his officials have made around the green card and in trying to invoke Article 8.2. Perhaps he might share with us some of the replies he has received to the efforts and the submissions he has made on this issue. It is strange that other countries have benefited from this. The House should know who is trying to block or prevent the invocation of Article 8.2 of the motor insurance directive.

The Minister says that he cannot be responsible for what the PSNI in Northern Ireland does. The bottom line is that, just as in the Republic of Ireland, the Legislature makes the laws. The Garda and the PSNI implement the laws. If the law of the land states that a driver must have a green card and the penalty for not carrying one is the impoundment of their car, we cannot criticise and say we do not know what the PSNI is going to do. We do know what it is going to do. It is a huge issue for people who go across the Border very frequently. I welcome the fact that the Minister has said he will continue his efforts to push for the UK to remain in the green card free circulation area. Does he have a timeline for when he hopes to have this matter resolved?

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