Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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94. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the consideration he has given to amending legislation to allow commercial driver certificate of professional competency courses to be conducted online similar to those provided in other EU countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15601/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Driver Certificate of Professional Competency (CPC) training is ongoing in level 5 as this training has been deemed as an essential service. Driver CPC training organisations continue to provide training and drivers continue to attend and maintain their CPC qualification.

At the current time, the Road Safety authority (RSA) does not facilitate online Driver CPC training.  EU Directive 2003/59/EC which introduced Driver CPC was updated in 2018 (EU Directive 645 of 2018) and while the amended Directive allows for the use of ICT tools such as e-learning and blended learning as part of CPC training, a substantial amount of the training continues to be required to be completed in an approved Driver CPC training centre.

The RSA does consider that delivering some training online, in line with revised Directive, is the way forward. The RSA will consult with the industry, including all Driver CPC training organisations, to establish how training can be enhanced and improved within the scope of the opportunities provided for in the EU legislation.