Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)

I apologise to the Minister of State for being late. The debate on the Health (Pricing and Supply of Medical Goods) Bill concluded earlier than I had anticipated. The issue I raise is simple. What is the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport doing on behalf of up to 8,000 Irish citizens who will travel to Canada this year to find work? We do not have an agreement in place with Canada with regard to driving licences and these people must sit the driving test again, both the written exam and the driving test, as if they had provisional licences . Not only is this inconvenient, but it delays them finding jobs as most jobs require a full licence. There is also an issue with regard to insurance as they are treated as if they are first-time drivers. This issue could be resolved easily if we put in place a scheme like that in the North and in England, which have an arrangement with Canada to provide that Canadian citizens arriving there can exchange their licence for an English one and vice versa when English people go to Canada. This allows for their years of driving experience to be taken into account for insurance purposes.

The Department of Transport has said that it does not deal at a sub-national level with authorities or with other than their equivalent Department of Transport or the equivalent body. However, in Canada licensing is done on a provincial basis, where each province has its own licensing system and issues its own licences. Therefore, our Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport is not willing to engage on this issue. This beggars belief. I raised this issue yesterday at a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, because it concerns foreign affairs, but it is also an issue for the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. It is a concern for Irish citizens who must go abroad for work. While I do not expect a world-shattering response, I would point out that it should be just a simple processing matter. However, there must be the will to deal with it. Does the will exist within the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to engage with the Canadian authorities at a sub-national level to put in place a mechanism to provide for Irish people to arrive in Canada with their full Irish driving licence and exchange for a provincial licence there? I hope the Minister of State's response is enlightening and I urge him to raise this issue with the Minister for Transport.