Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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110. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he has met with or plans to meet with representatives of the photo ID industry to discuss their concerns regarding the displacement of jobs following changes in the drivers licensing process. [40906/13]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Under the terms of the Road Safety Authority (Commercial Vehicle Roadworthiness) Act 2012, the Road Safety Authority (RSA) is the national driver licensing authority as of January of 2013. The RSA designed the new centralised driver licensing system around a central unit within the Authority and three outsourced contracts. The contracts include one for a front office, which engages with the public; a second contract for a back office, to process applications; and a third contract for the production of the plastic card licence.   

The requirement for photo ID under the new system is that it should comply with SAFE 2 standards.  I understand that, in its request for tenders for the front office, the RSA asked tenderers to propose the most effective method of photo capture.  All tenderers suggested digital capture on site.  The tender process is now concluded and contracts have been signed. Neither I nor my Department had any role in the tender process and, as such, there was no rationale for meeting with representatives of businesses involved in photo ID.  The RSA is a State agency and has a duty to design processes to provide a maximum of efficiency, security and value for money for the public.