Lorraine Clifford-Lee (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish everyone a happy new year and let us hope 2021 will be a productive year for all of us in these Houses. I want to raise the issue of driver licence renewals. It is a very serious issue. I have been contacted by many people about it. It is something that needs to be addressed by the Government as a matter of urgency. Will the Leader correspond on our behalf with the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, on it? As most Senators know, the driver licence system is European-wide. People who were due to renew their licences in recent months were given an extension of this time but this extension has since expired and over the coming months people who must renew their licences will face difficulty because they need a verified MyGovID card to do so online. Quite a number of people do not yet have one. A system is in place for people aged over 70 to renew by post, and we run the learner permit system here, but we need to get agreement at European level to do this. Will the Leader contact the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan? I know he is working in the background on it with his European colleagues. It is a very important issue for people throughout the country.