Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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409. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will address anomalies in relation to the issuing of driver licences (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19892/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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This is a matter for the Road Safety Authority. I have referred the question to the Authority for direct reply. I would ask the Deputy to contact my office if a response is not received within 10 days.

Jennifer Whitmore (Wicklow, Social Democrats)
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410. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the steps that can be taken in relation to a person (details supplied) converting their driver licence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19893/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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There is a distinction between motorists with a foreign driving licence visiting Ireland and those living in Ireland. For non-residents, under the Convention on Road Traffic 1949 (Geneva Convention) drivers from Contracting States carrying a valid driver’s licence can drive on each other’s roads for up to a year when visiting.

If a person is resident in Ireland, they must have an Irish/EU driving licence.

Ireland has entered into driving licence exchange agreements with some countries. In such cases, a foreign driving licence that has expired by no more than 12 months will be accepted for exchange. The licence is only recognised for exchange purposes and is not valid for driving in Ireland. Ireland does not have a licence exchange agreement with the United Arab Emirates.

When people come to Ireland with a non-exchangeable licence, we have no option but to require them to go through the process of obtaining an Irish licence. This is a matter of public safety. While many may have a safe driving record, we have no way of measuring this.

People with a full but non-exchangeable licence go through the normal driver learning process but can avail of the shorter Essential Driver Training of 6 lessons instead of the usual 12, and they do not have to be a learner for the usual minimum of 6 months before taking a driving test.