Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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184. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the countries with which reciprocal driving licence arrangements are being examined at present; and the reasons for selection of these countries. [43903/24]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is the driver licensing authority in Ireland and it recommends, following a detailed examination of the licensing system in a third country, whether or not to enter into a licence exchange agreement with that country.

In considering licence exchange agreements, Ireland is currently giving priority to identifying countries that may be a source of professional drivers, given the well documented shortages across the EU in that sector. However, the principle of ensuring the safety of Irish road users is still paramount in reaching such agreements.

Ireland has recently entered into a licence exchange agreement with Georgia for all categories of driving licence, including truck and bus licences. The RSA has also recently recommended new licence exchange agreements with North Macedonia and Moldova and is currently in discussions with those countries, with a view to putting agreements in place.

Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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185. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider introducing reciprocal driving licence arrangements with the US states of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Delaware, New York and Illinois; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43904/24]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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Irish driver licensing law operates within a framework of EU law. Driver licensing laws are intended to ensure drivers on our roads meet high safety standards. Testing standards are set at EU level.

Ireland may make bilateral agreements on licence exchange with non-EU jurisdictions. This is not a straightforward matter. Reaching them is not a matter of political will and the core principle is to ensure the continued safety of Irish road users. Agreements can be made only when the authorities in each jurisdiction have studied and compared the licensing regimes, so that each side is satisfied that they are compatible. For Ireland, this is undertaken by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).

The RSA has previously explored reaching agreement on exchange with the USA. However, US driver licensing operates at state rather than federal level, meaning that there are 50 licensing systems with widely varying standards and widely varying road safety performance, many with levels of road fatalities significantly worse than most EU countries. Agreement with any one state would mean taking into account the exchange relations between that state and the other 49.

In order to drive here, people with a non-exchangeable licence who come to reside in Ireland must obtain an Irish licence. A person with a full but non-exchangeable licence must 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.