Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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172. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider immediately extending the renewal period for driver licences by an additional six months to allow for more capacity in the NDLS system to deal with the backlog of cases and to ensure persons are not left without the capability to drive. [40845/20]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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There is no plan at this time 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, 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.

Protecting public health is a priority for the Government and the RSA has worked with their providers to increase capacity through a combination of additional staff, extended and additional operating hours (i.e. Sundays where needed), and the provision of overtime while ensuring public safety.

In addition, the online facility has been expanded to accommodate all driving licence and learner permit applications to enable accessibility on-line rather than by calling to an office. A MyGovID verified account, which requires a Public Service Card, is needed to access the online system.