Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 120: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if it is possible for a constituent who has dual citizenship in Ireland and Australia, holds a full driving licence in both countries and commutes regularly between both countries to renew their Irish driving licence without surrendering their Australian driving licence; his plans to review this in view of the higher insurance and car rental costs involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8070/11]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Under the Road Traffic (Recognition of Foreign Driving Licences) Order 2007 (SI No. 527 of 2007) Ireland has arrangements for recognition and exchange of driving licences from a number of other jurisdictions, including Australia. It is an accepted principle of these arrangements that a person should not hold two driving licences at the same time. In consequence it is a principle that, where an exchange arrangement is in place, one should hand in the "old" licence to get the licence in the exchange country. When a person comes back to Ireland his/her licence renewal application form will ask if he/she has a licence from another country and, where it is from a country with which we have an exchange arrangement, such as Australia, this must be submitted with the application form for the Irish licence. There are no plans to change this arrangement.