Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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234. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the measures he is taking to ensure that persons over 70 years of age can access NDLS services online; if he will consider extending their licences for a full year; if the requirement for a general medical test will be waived in view of advice given to such persons about Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22156/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Currently, people under the age of 70 and those that do not need to provide any supporting documentation, can apply for a learner permit and/or a driving licence online provided they have a Public Services Card and a verified MyGovID account.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is working to expand the online facility to accommodate all driving licence and learner permit application types, which would facilitate those requiring medical reports, in a manner that does not undermine the existing legal framework or the effective operations of the stakeholders involved.

In light of the need to facilitate social distancing and the additional burdens on medical services due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the requirement for those over 70 (under certain circumstances) to provide a medical report when applying for or renewing a driving licence or learner permit has been removed.

This provision, granted in March and extended in July, means that from 20 March until 31 December 2020, persons of 70 years of age or over, can apply for and renew their driving licence or learner permit without the need to submit a medical report. This is only on the basis that they do not have an identified or specified illness.

Driving licences that expired between 1 March 2020 and 31 August 2020 are now extended for 7 months. This means that if a licence expired on the 20th August 2020 it is now valid until 20th March 2021.