Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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201. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a course (details supplied) will be abolished; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53962/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The requirement to have a Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) is set out under EU law and applies to nationals of Member States and to nationals of third countries who are employed or used by an undertaking established in a Member State.

EU Directive 2003/59/EC, which introduced driver CPC and which was updated in 2018 by EU Directive 645 of 2018, is transposed into Irish law by SI 359 of 2008.

Following the initial CPC qualification, professional drivers are required to complete periodic training. Periodic training is completed in cycles of 5 years, with drivers completing one day of training per year in each training cycle, at the end of which they receive a driver qualification card valid for the following five years. Driver CPC which was introduced in 2008 for bus drivers and 2009 for truck drivers and it is currently in the third training cycle. Drivers are required to maintain their driver CPC qualification for the duration of their driving career. Accordingly, they are required to complete one day of CPC training per year on an ongoing basis.