Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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599. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the position regarding the conversion of Irish driver licences in Alberta, Canada; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2304/15]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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Driver licensing law in Ireland operates within a framework of EU law. On this basis, we have mutual exchange of driving licences with other EU Member States.  In the case of non-EU jurisdictions, we can reach bilateral agreements on mutual exchange of licences.

The process of reaching these agreements involves detailed comparison of the two regimes by the licensing authorities on both sides, to ensure that they are compatible.  On the Irish side, this work is undertaken by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).

The RSA has been engaging for some time with the authorities in Canada with a view to reaching agreements on mutual exchange of driving licences.  In Canada, driver licensing operates at provincial rather than national level.  This means that the RSA has to engage with the authorities in each province separately, and inevitably lengthens the process.

It was decided from the beginning to prioritise agreement with Ontario, due to the large number of Irish residents there.  The Ontario agreement, the first such agreement with any Canadian province, came into effect last October.

The RSA has continued to engage with the other Canadian provinces.  It is my understanding that the next agreements to be reached are likely to be with Manitoba and with Newfoundland & Labrador. The RSA will continue to work with Alberta and other provinces with a view to getting agreements in place as soon as possible.