Michael Fitzmaurice (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister, Deputy Ross, for coming to the Chamber to discuss this issue and I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting it. Deputy Sherlock has also put this matter but he is attending a committee vote currently.

Deputy Sherlock has encountered the same issue, as have other Deputies around the country, especially in the last week. We are being inundated with calls from people who have UK driving licences and are having difficulty changing them over to Irish licences. I understand there is a walk-in service advertised on the website but unfortunately there have been hours of queuing for many of the people who have gone in to the centres to apply. There is not enough staff, but in fairness this is probably because the service is under pressure. People are taking time off work to go in to apply to change their licences and now panic is beginning to set in. I believe that 12 April is the deadline for this.

Conflicting views are given when one goes in to change a licence. People are stating that if an application is made then the person is okay to drive but others have heard that a driver cannot drive until he or she has the new licence. Deputy Sherlock has heard the same. Some people have said that if a driver does not have the licence in time then he or she may have to resit a driving test.

Many Irish people have made their lives in England. They go over on a Monday and come back on Friday evening. There are many people whose lives are intertwined between the UK and Ireland. We need to make sure that this is facilitated. In the spirit of partnership and in the context of the common travel area, I put it to the Minister that we should not ask people to change over their driving licences. There was a common travel area long before the UK or Ireland was in the EU. If the Minister cannot do that perhaps he could tell the House who is making up these rules. Is the EU pushing the Government on this? What part has the Road Safety Authority, RSA, in it?

If the Minister cannot solve this issue under the common travel area can we give a breathing space of a three month period? We need to put out a very clear message to people that if they do not have their licence by 12 April they should not panic because there could, for example, be a grace period of a month or so and they would not be put off the road. We need to make clear to people that they would not have to resit a driving test if they already hold a UK licence.

The situation is unusual. Over the last week in constituency offices Deputy Sherlock and other Deputies have seen the beginnings of panic as people are ringing up. The situation is causing a lot of frustration for people who have UK driving licences and especially for people who live and work in the Border counties, from Donegal over to Deputy Adams's county. There are others who may have worked in the UK years ago, who came back to Ireland and have always had a UK licence. Some civil servant needs to bring a bit of common sense into this matter rather than this growing frustration. People who are working cannot take time off work to spend three or four hours queuing for this. This is what Deputy Sherlock and I have been told. The queues go on so long that people are not getting to make their application as they have to leave. We need to solve this. I understand the application cannot be done online, but I am open to correction on that. I ask the Minister to bring clarity to the situation.

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