Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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225. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to amend driving licence regulations in view of difficulties arising for persons returning from the United States of America (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10745/18]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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Irish driver licensing law operates within a framework of EU law.  It is important to remember that driver licensing law exists to ensure that people licensed to drive on our roads meet high standards of safety.  The standards for testing drivers are set at EU level.

As such, all EU driving licences are exchangeable when a person moves from one Member State to another.  In the case of non-EU jurisdictions, we may make bilateral agreements on licence exchange.  These are not a straightforward matter, and reaching them is not a matter of political will.  They can be made only when the relevant authorities in each jurisdiction have studied and compared the two licensing regimes, so that each side can be satisfied that they are compatible.  On the Irish side, this task is undertaken by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).

The RSA has previously explored reaching agreement on exchange with the USA.  However, US driver licensing operates at state rather than federal level, meaning that there are 50 licensing systems with widely varying standards.  Agreement with any one state would mean taking into account the exchange relations between that state and the other 49.  The RSA determined that agreement would not be possible.

When people come to Ireland with a non-exchange licence, we have no option but to require them to go through the process of obtaining an Irish licence.  This is a matter of public safety.  While many may have a safe driving record, we have no way of measuring this. 

At present, people with a full but non-exchange licence go through the normal driver learning process with one exception, namely that they do not have to be a learner for the usual minimum of 6 months before taking a driving test.

I am aware of the difficulties, in terms of time, cost, and frustration, which this can cause.  As Minister I have to balance this against a duty to public safety.  The single largest cause difficulty is the requirement to undertake the 12 mandatory 'Essential Driver Training' lessons.  I agree that this is excessive for experienced drivers.  I have consulted with the RSA, and last week I announced that I have decided to introduce a 'short EDT' of 6 lessons for people with non-exchange licences.

Some might have preferred to abolish the EDT altogether for people in this position.  I consulted with the RSA on this possibility, but it is clear that some lessons would be useful in helping people to adjust to Irish driving rules and conditions and in preparing people for the driving test.