Written answers

Tuesday, 19 November 2013

Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport

Driving Licence Issues

Photo of Noel HarringtonNoel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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746. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will examine the situation regarding the removal of the category on driver licences for light trucks for those who held this category on previous licences; if the same criteria will be applied as those who had the trailer category on previous licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49605/13]

Photo of Noel HarringtonNoel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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747. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will examine the situation regarding the removal of the category on driver licences for motor cycles for those who held this category on previous licences; if the same criteria will be applied as those who had the trailer category on previous licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49613/13]

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 746 and 747 together.

The situation whereby some people inadvertently lost their entitlement to tow trailers with their cars originated due to a change to driver licensing law in 1989.  Before that date, there was one licence category for driving cars and cars with trailers.  In many cases, this licence also permitted the driving of motorcycles and light trucks. The change in 1989 meant that in future there were separate categories, one for cars and others for cars with trailers, for motorcycles or for trucks. People requiring to tow trailers or to drive vehicles other than cars were, from then on, required to pass a test in that category.   People who had a full licence before the change were allowed, when renewing their licences, to claim both of the new categories.  To do so, they had to tick boxes for each category on their renewal forms.

It appears that a number of people renewed their licences for the car only category.  Earlier this year, I received representations from farming organisations on behalf of people who had  realised belatedly that they had lost the trailer entitlement which they had held prior to 1989.  On consideration of the issue, I decided that people who could prove that they had held a full driving licence pre-1989 - that is, had originally held a full entitlement to draw a trailer - should be allowed to reclaim their trailer entitlement.  I made it clear that this was a once-off arrangement and specific to the trailer entitlement.  I have no plans to make arrangements of this kind in other cases.

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