Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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866. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the justification for the much longer qualifying period applied to the driver licensing arrangements for motorcyclists than for general motorists. [7134/16]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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​Irish driver licensing legislation operates within a framework of EU law.  This is based on Directive 2006/126/EC, as amended.  The matter which the Deputy has raised is determined by EU law, and Ireland has no discretion in this area.

Categories of vehicle for driver licensing purposes are defined at EU level, as are minimum standards for obtaining a licence.  The EU divides motorcycle licences into categories A, A1, and A2.  There is also a category AM for mopeds.  The difference in motorcycle categories relates to power and engine size, and represents a graded system, with category A as the broadest category covering all motorcycles and the other categories representing lower-powered vehicles.

The EU has set the minimum age for category A1 as 16, category A2 as 18 and category A as 24.  As a result, it is possible for an applicant to progress from a licence in category A1 at 16 through A2 at 18, to category A at 24.  A first-time applicant who is 24 years of age or older may apply directly for a category A licence without going through the lower stages.