Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy can be certain that the RSA and the Department will respond to increased demand. If there is increased demand, as the Deputy anticipates, from returning emigrants, they will respond to that. In my opening reply, I said the average waiting time for the exchange of a UK driving licence for an Irish one is three days, which is a very short period. If there is a rush of emigrants returning from the UK and looking for licences, I have no doubt that the RSA will respond. It has already responded fully to the anticipation that 70,000 people would apply and, in fact, they did not all come. As such, the speed with which the RSA is delivering new licences is commendable.

As the Deputy knows, although I do not think it is the intention behind his question, I cannot involve myself in any bilateral negotiations with my British counterparts on this because the EU is carrying out those negotiations. If the UK departs from the EU on 31 October, which I hope it will not, there will then be an opportunity for us to make an agreement which will sort out the problem anticipated by the Deputy.

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