Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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179. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if restrictions relating to driver licenses is leading to difficulties in the area of baggage handling at Dublin Airport; if the issue has been raised by baggage handling operators at the airport with his Department or with any related State agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47956/22]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I would like to thank the Deputy for his question. The Deputy will be aware that the whole aviation eco-system has experienced operational challenges with the recovery of passenger travel to close to pre-Covid levels, the root of which mainly lay in the significant staff resourcing issues facing the sector. Ireland is not unique in this regard.

Dublin Airport raised an issue with the Department in relation to the validity of foreign driver's licenses for use in Dublin Airport.

The Department clarified that a person can drive here on a foreign licence for up to a year but only if they are a visitor (this is covered by an international convention). Under our national laws, if a person is resident here, they must have an Irish/EU licence to drive on public roads.

If a person is resident in Ireland, for instance, on foot of a work permit, they must have an Irish or EU licence in order to drive here. Ireland has licence exchange agreements with a number of non-EU states and, in those cases, a person may exchange their national licence for an Irish licence if they are resident here. The Department informed Dublin Airport that Ireland does not have a licence exchange agreement with Brazil so those resident licence holders can not legally drive here (on Irish roads or airside) on their Brazilian licences.

Under section 38 of the 1961 Road Traffic Act, it is an offence to drive a motorised vehicle in a public place without a driving licence. A state airport, under section 59 of the Air Navigation and Transport Act 1998, is a public place and a person driving a motorised vehicle in an airport must have the appropriate licence for that vehicle.

A person resident here with a full but non-exchangeable licence can avail of a shorter process to obtaining an Irish licence, involving Essential Driver Training of 6 lessons only, instead of the 12 normally required, and will not have to wait the minimum of 6 months before taking a driving test.

The issue has not been formally raised with my department by the ground handlers, however, the Department is aware that they have raised the issue with the Joint Oireachtas Committee. The Department understands that Dublin Airport has shared the position regarding the requirements for a valid driver's license to drive in a public place with the companies responsible for the ground handlers operations.