Cathy Bennett (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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251. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will report on his engagement with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, DMV, and the urgent need for the confirmation of a reciprocal driving licence agreement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66271/25]

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 in line with the Programme for Government commitments regarding the easier return to Ireland for emigrants, the Department has reciprocal driving licence arrangements with Australia and 7 out of 10 Canadian provinces.

The Department is exploring options concerning the US. US driver licensing is regulated at state, not federal, level. Ireland does not currently have agreements with any US state.

The Department has liaised with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to identify states with large Irish born populations. Three US states, New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey, have been chosen as the initial states for consideration due to the size of their Irish born populations.

DFA and the Department have written to the Governor of the state of New York to express Ireland’s interest in entering into a possible agreement.

On my direction, the Road Safety Authority is engaged with its counterpart licencing authority for New York state. The assessment process for a possible licence exchange agreement is technical in nature between the respective licencing authorities and needs to be independent of political interference. This process is ongoing at present.