Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the number of persons that currently hold full driving licences here; the number of drivers that have licences to pull a small trailer behind a car; his plans to bring new rules and regulations for persons pulling small trailer behind their car; if these new regulations affect persons who already pull small trailers behind their cars; and the number of full licences that were given out under the amnesty for provisional licence holders many years ago. [3542/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The number of persons that currently hold full driving licences is 2,413,936 and the number of drivers that have licences to pull a small trailer behind a car is 799,282.

New regulations in relation to driver licences came into effect on 19 January 2013.  These Regulations changed the weight limits associated with towing trailers but will not apply to people who already hold a B or EB driving licence that was issued prior to 19 January 2013.

Currently, if you have a category B driving licence that was issued prior to 19 January, you can tow a small trailer as long as the trailer does not exceed the unladen weight of the drawing vehicle and the combined design gross vehicle weight of the drawing vehicle and trailer does not exceed 3,500kg.  If the design gross vehicle weight of your vehicle is 3,500kg, then the trailer being towed cannot exceed 750kg. 

However, from 19 January 2013, a person who gets a category B driving licence for the first time will be able to tow a trailer where the maximum authorised mass of the vehicle and trailer combined does not exceed 3500kg.  Accordingly, there are fewer restrictions on the size of the trailer being towed as long as the combined weight of drawing vehicle and trailer are not exceeded.

In relation to towing a larger trailer, a licence issued before 19 January 2013 should include an EB category for this purpose. This category allowed for the pulling of a trailer above 750kg with no limit.  From 19 January, a person taking out a first EB (now changed to a BE) licence can only draw a trailer whose maximum authorised mass is no greater than 3,500kg.  The combined maximum authorised mass cannot exceed 7,000kg with vehicle or trailer individually not exceeding 3,500kg. 

There are no available records relating to the overall number of people who received a full licence under the amnesty referred to by the Deputy.