Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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829. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason full and proper US driving licences are only given the provisional status here with a 12-month duration; his plans to review the policy in place, which inhibits annual visitors from the United States of America to Ireland from driving freely; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29844/15]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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​Irish driver licensing law operates within a framework of EU law.  As such, we have mutual exchange of licences with all EU Member States.  In the case of non-EU States, we can reach bilateral arrangements for mutual recognition of driving licences. Bilateral agreements are not a straightforward matter.  They are preceded by detailed comparison of the two licensing systems, so that the licensing authorities in both jurisdictions can be satisfied that the systems are compatible.  On the Irish side, this task is undertaken by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).

We do not have such an agreement with the USA.  US driver licensing operates at State rather than federal level.  Reaching agreement would therefore mean reaching 50 separate agreements, each of which would have to take account of the further relationship between each State and the other 49 States.  I am advised by the RSA that this is not practicable.

Separately, under international agreements reaching back to the 1920s, Ireland allows visitors to drive here for up to a year on their own national licences, even if we do not recognise them for exchange purposes.  A person who visits Ireland annually, as instanced by the Deputy, should be able to drive here as a visitor on a US licence.