Pauline Tully (Sinn Fein)

Many of our young people, who are skilled and highly qualified, are leaving our shores to work abroad. For those who do wish to return, we should make the transition back into society as easy as possible. I know a couple who spent two years in Australia, have returned home and are trying to switch their Australian driving licence back to an Irish driving licence.They have been told this will take three to five months. In the meantime, they cannot get insurance and cannot drive. Living in rural Ireland, they therefore cannot work because, unfortunately, very little public transport is available. When they transferred their Irish licences to Australian ones, it was almost instantaneous. The woman told me hers took ten days because something had to be checked on it, but for most cases it was straightforward and done practically there and then. Anyone would wait a week or two, but three to five months is not fair.

I have written to the NDLS but I ask the Leader to raise this issue with the Minister for Transport as well to see if something can be done. Is it a resourcing issue? We have many people returning to our country. They have to transfer their licences. It should be done in a matter of days or, at the most, weeks.