Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
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204. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will extend all driver licences due for renewal that cannot be extended online during the current stage of the Covid-19 pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36322/20]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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There is no plan to further extend the validity of driving licences. Irish driving licence law is based on a framework of EU law, and the current extensions bring us into line with the EU legislation.

All driving licences that expired between 1 March and 31 August 2020 were extended for 7 months. The National Driver Licence Service (NDLS), provided by the Road Safety Authority (RSA), closed in March as per Government instruction and re-opened in June. The extension was granted to extend the validity of driving licences that would have expired at a time when it was not possible to renew such licences, and to assist the NDLS resumption while adhering to the return to work protocols.

Through the NDLS, the RSA has expanded the current online facility to accommodate all driving licence and learner permit applications to enable accessibility online rather than by calling to an office. A Public Services Card and a verified MyGovID account will be required to access the online system.

To attend in person, an applicant must make an appointment through the NDLS. All appointments must be booked in advance as it is not possible to facilitate any walk-ins due to the social distancing requirements and in the interest of protecting the staff and customers. The RSA has worked with their providers to create the additional capacity through a combination of additional staff, extended and additional operating hours (i.e. Sundays where needed), and the provision of overtime. The introduction of these steps, and the availability of the extended online service will help ease the pressure on the NDLS, free up appointment slots and make it easier to find those slots at local centres.

In addition,  those 70 years of age and over will be contacted directly by the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) and invited to renew their licence or permit by post. Previously only those aged 70 and over who renew their licence on a yearly basis are invited to renew it by post. As a temporary measure, given the situation with Covid-19, the RSA, through its licensing service the NDLS, will expand the postal renewal option, to those over 70 who renew their licence every three years.