Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

438. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his Department has made all the necessary ICT changes to allow motor insurers access to realtime data on driver disqualifications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24393/25]

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

439. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if a timeline has been jointly agreed between his Department and the insurance industry to allow motor insurers access realtime driver disqualification data; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24394/25]

Emer Currie (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

444. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport further to Parliamentary Question No. 395 of 29 April 2025, how the nightly file from his Department to An Garda Síochána could include the disqualification status of every driving licence and include the driver number when many court disqualifications imposed on Irish licence holders cannot be matched to the appropriate driver record held by the Minister; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24399/25]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Questions Nos. 438, 439 and 444 together.

The relevant sections of the Road Traffic and Roads Act 2023 allowing access by insurers and intermediaries to disqualification and endorsement data from my Department's National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF) database at policy processing or renewal time have been commenced.

I am pleased to advise the Deputy that these provisions are now also being implemented in practice. The NVDF holds driver number and disqualification status for all drivers in the State. Since 31 March 2025 when a insurer or insurance intermediary attempts to validate the driver number of a disqualified driver against the NVDF, the validation will fail. Following this failed validation, the insurer or intermediary will advise the driver to contact the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) for a driver statement to confirm the licence status.

The nightly file from my Department to An Garda Siochána includes the disqualification status of every driving licence and includes the driver number. The driving licence status is effectively real time and up to date to within 24 hours. Where the information provided to my Department in a disqualification notice is incomplete, not all of these will be matched for a driver record and in those cases the status may not be current.