Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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187. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will intervene in the ongoing situation with the National Driver Licence Service in which learner drivers and those in need of licence renewals are being left waiting months on end for appointments. [1609/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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My Department is in constant contact with the Road Safety Authority since the start of the pandemic regarding all of its services, the impact of Covid-19 on those services, and how they can best be maintained in the current circumstances.

The National Driver Licence Service, provided by the Road Safety Authority (RSA), resumed operations in June, following the closure of the centres due to the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. Since services resumed, there has inevitably been an increased level of demand due to the consequent backlog.

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. This, of course, has led to an increase in the demand for appointments.

Under Covid-19 Level 5 Government restrictions, applicants can attend an appointment at an NDLS centre provided they are an essential worker involved in the provision of essential services or essential retail outlets. Details on what is included in the list of essential workers and retail outlets is available on .

The RSA is working with their providers to see how they can create the additional capacity needed as quickly as possible, while adhering to the return to work protocol for when normal service resumes after level 5. Options being introduced include a combination of additional staff, extended and additional operating hours (i.e. Sundays where needed), and the provision of overtime.

The National Driver Licence Service (NDLS), has expanded the online facility to accommodate all driving licence and learner permit applications to enable accessibility online rather than by calling to an office. A verified MyGovID account, which requires a Public Services Card, is needed to access the online system.

The possible extension of driving licences is currently under consideration in Europe due to Covid-19. The extension of learner permits is also under consideration. A decision is expected shortly.

All persons of 70 years of age and over will now be invited to renew their driving licence or learner permit by post. Applicants will be contacted directly by the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS). Previously only those aged 70 and over who renew their licence on a yearly basis could avail of this service.

They do not need to contact the NDLS directly about their application. All those 70 years and over who have previously presented at an NDLS centre in the last 5 years and whose licence or permit is due to expire will receive a renewal pack in the post and be invited to apply by post. Although this is a temporary measure due to the Covid-19 pandemic, no end date has been applied to this provision at this time.

In light of the resurgence of Covid-19 cases and, in order to ease the burden on medical services, my Department has extended the exemption that allows for those aged over 70 to apply for a driving licence without the need to provide a medical report until 30 June 2021 unless they have an identified or specified illness. A previous exemption had been in place until 31 December 2020.