Naoise Ó Muirí (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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281. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to provide an update on the Programme for Government commitment to facilitate the easier return to Ireland for emigrants, including reciprocal driving licence arrangements with the USA, Australia and Canada; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51666/25]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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As Minister of State for International & Road Transport, Logistics, Rail & Ports, I wish to advise that Irish driver licensing operates within a framework of EU law - the driver licensing legislation with which all Member States must comply. The standards for testing drivers are set at EU level and, accordingly, EU driving licences are recognised and exchangeable when a person moves from one Member State to another.

Ireland may make bilateral driving licence exchange agreements with non-EU jurisdictions. This is a technical process. Reaching agreement is not a matter of political will and the core principle is to ensure the continued safety of Irish road users. Agreements may be made only when the authorities in each jurisdiction have compared the licensing regimes and are satisfied that they are compatible. For Ireland, this task is undertaken by the Road Safety Authority.

The Programme for Government 2025 has a commitment to “Work to facilitate the easier return to Ireland for emigrants, including reciprocal driving licence arrangements with the USA, Australia and Canada”. Ireland has licence exchange agreements with Australia and with seven of the ten Canadian provinces. Ireland does not have an agreement with the USA.

In light of the Programme for Government commitments and the time passed since the last review, it is timely to explore the possibility of entering into a driving licence exchange agreement with some US States. My Department, in this context, has directed the RSA to examine licence exchange agreements with suitable US states.

Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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282. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the countries/states/provinces which Ireland has licence exchange agreements; those which his Department are engaged in the process of obtaining such an agreement; the year such processes began; the average timeframe to achieve such an agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51737/25]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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As Minister of State for International & Road Transport, Logistics, Rail & Ports, I wish to advise that Irish driver licensing operates within a framework of EU law - the driver licensing legislation with which all Member States must comply. The standards for testing drivers are set at EU level and, accordingly, EU driving licences are recognised and exchangeable when a person moves from one Member State to another.

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

The RSA’s assessment is a technical and independent process that requires adherence to EU standards and the agreement of the counter party jurisdiction too.

The timeframes for establishing a licence exchange agreement vary for a variety of reasons, most commonly if engagement from the other jurisdiction is delayed. External factors such as Brexit, Covid-19 restrictions and the priorities of other jurisdictions have also had an impact on timeframes.

Licence exchange agreements with 3rd countries/states/provinces – concluded and in progress