Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will report on the introduction of the EU driving licence and the impact of the new system for Irish motorists; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5206/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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If I may begin with a clarification, there is strictly speaking no such thing as an 'EU driving licence'.  Ireland issues Irish driving licences whose format accords with EU standards.  We have now changed over from a paper format of driving licence to a new EU standard plastic card driving licence.  The new licence accords with a format set out in Directive 2006/126/EC, as amended by Directive 2011/94/EU.  The Road Safety Authority (RSA), as the national driver licensing authority, began issuing the new plastic licence on 19 January 2013. As and from that date, all licences issued will be in the new format.

 The transition to the plastic card has been planned carefully, with the RSA taking the lead and other key stakeholders involved at each stage.  In parallel, a new structure for delivering driving licences under the RSA is being introduced.  The RSA became the national driver licensing authority from 12 January.  The new system will be fully in place later this year, but at present a transitional arrangement is in place, with local authorities continuing to perform a number of driver licensing functions on behalf of the RSA.

Reaction to the new format licence has been very positive and I believe the public in general welcome this change.  The new licence is more durable and more convenient to carry than the paper format which it is replacing as well as offering greater security.