2026-04-29

I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, to prioritise driver licence exchange agreements. Reviewing parliamentary questions placed by my party colleague, Deputy Conway-Walsh, in the previous term and questions from at least ten TDs in this term, Ministers advised that it is a matter for the Road Safety Authority to recommend, following a detailed examination of the licensing system in a third country, whether or not to engage in the licence exchange agreement. People appreciate that there could be a degree of technical complexity in terms of the reciprocal exchange of driving licences. More recently, as the campaign to make real progress on exchanges with the United States has gained momentum, Ministers have expanded on that explanation, saying we operate within the EU framework, standards are set at EU level, there is a technical road safety-based process and that this is not a matter of political will. This is what we have been told by the Government until now. I commend Safe Home Ireland and the Irish-US Drivers Licence Campaign on their recently published report, Irish-US Driver’s Licence Campaign: Easing the burden on our returning citizens. I also welcome Ciarán Staunton, the co-chair of the campaign, who is in the Gallery today with Damian Greene. Both organisations have done incredible work over recent years supporting members of the Irish diaspora seeking to return home. Ciarán's work with and among the Irish in the United States has been incredibly important over many years. What this report brings to light is that for all of the complexity we have been told about over the many years, there is perhaps a degree of this matter being about political will. The Minister of State can have the political will. There is certainly a need for common sense by all. Road safety is paramount, of course, but we are talking about people who may have had Irish driving licences for decades and who may not have had to do a test had stayed in Ireland. We are also talking about people who are free to drive in Ireland for up to one year but it becomes an issue after that. In fact, in one instance, I read about an Irish citizen who had obtained a US licence, exchanged it for a Belgian one, returned to Ireland, drove for six years and then had to sit the Irish driving test. We all need to agree that it is not about road safety. It sounds as if it is more about bureaucracy. Further to this report, I have a number of specific questions for the Minister of State, and I would appreciate if he would provide clarity. While we all accept the reciprocal approach when we think about, we also accept that under Irish law exchanges do not necessarily need to be reciprocal as in the case with some of the arrangements in place already with Austria, Belgian, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and Portugal. When we see so many awaiting driving tests, I think we all agree on a need for simplification. I would appreciate a response from the Minister of State to this very important report.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an ábhar seo a ardú. I welcome Ciarán and Damian and thank them for their work, advocacy and what they have been doing. I thank Deputy Bennett for raising the matter. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister who sends his apologies for not being here. In order to ensure the safety of road users, it is vital that Ireland only exchanges licences following a detailed examination of the relevant country's licensing and testing regime. Engagement with the relevant licensing authority is required in order to conduct such an examination. In addition, formal engagement is required with the other country during the licence exchange process itself in order to verify the licence. Bilateral agreements are utilised to ensure that both of these steps may be undertaken effectively. Entering into a driving licence exchange agreement with a country outside of the EU is not a straightforward matter and reaching it is not a matter of political will. However, I take the Deputy’s point with regard to political will. There needs to be that political will to do that. The former president of the GAA, Larry McCarthy, has been engaging with me on this issue. The core principle when reaching an agreement with another jurisdiction is to ensure the continued safety of road users is not compromised. In reaching a bilateral agreement, the most important element is ensuring that the other jurisdictions applies standards for obtaining a licence which are compatible with our own. Where they do not meet these standards, no agreement is possible, no matter how desirable an agreement with that jurisdiction may be. From Ireland’s perspective, the Road Safety Authority, RSA, is delegated under national legislation with the task of conducting the independent technical assessment comparing the two licensing regimes. Irish licences are normally issued for ten years but they may be issued for a shorter period in certain circumstances, such as on health grounds. Under the Road Traffic (Licencing of Drivers) Regulations 2006, as amended, someone who is resident in Ireland may apply to renew their Irish licence within ten years of it expiring. This effectively gives a window of 20 years from the day the licence is issued to the date it must be renewed. People with a non-exchangeable licence who come to reside in Ireland must obtain an Irish licence in order to drive here. However, a person with a full but non-exchangeable licence can avail of a shorter learning to drive process, which includes six essential driver training lessons instead of 12 and no minimum period of six months before taking a driving test. One of the commitments of the programme for Government is to work to facilitate the easier return to Ireland for emigrants, including reciprocal driving licence arrangements with the United States, Australia and Canada. Ireland has a licence exchange agreement with Australia and with seven of the ten Canadian provinces, with a proposed agreement under way at present with Nova Scotia. Under the programme for Government, the RSA is currently engaging with New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey in order to undertake a technical review with a view to entering into a licence exchange agreement. I am happy to ask the RSA to engage with the campaign group because it is important we hear from all sides and that we engage and understand fully what the issues are. The EU Driving Licences Directive 2025/2205 aims to modernise the driver licensing system and bring down the number of road deaths across the EU. The Union is committed to getting as close as possible to zero road traffic accident victims by 2050. The rules on driving licences are essential elements of the common transport policy and play a major role in improving road safety. The new directive provides for agreements on the EU-wide recognition of EU licences issued in exchange for licences from specific third countries, which have a road safety framework similar to the EU. This may only take place after the Commission, together with the member states, assesses and decides on a country-by-country basis which third countries meet the requisite standard. I again thank the Deputy for the opportunity to speak on this issue. I will bring her concerns and the points she raised back to the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and the RSA.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Buttimer, for the offer to engage with the RSA. The gentlemen in the Gallery will be delighted with that response because it is something that we do need to move on. Ireland has asked a lot of our diaspora and they have answered time and again, particularly the Irish community in the United States, whether with political support or interventions regarding the Good Friday Agreement or Brexit, economic support or remittances during times of famine, funds that supported the fledgling Government during the Tan war, foreign direct investment and even supporting the tourism sector to this day. We have been less consistent in relation to what we have to offer our diaspora. This is the bare minimum we can do, especially at a time when the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is actively encouraging people to return home to rebuild Ireland. It would make sense, it would be straightforward and it would make it possible for these people to return home. In that context, I note the programme for Government speaks of prioritising agreements with states from which Ireland can source professional drivers. Given the shortages that makes complete sense. However, in terms of returning emigrants, the language is much softer. The Government needs to work to facilitate the easier return to Ireland for emigrants, including reciprocal driving licence arrangements. Can we recognise where there are solutions, such as those brought forward in this report? I commend this report, which is great. It would be very useful for the RSA to engage with this as well as evidenced in the examples set by other states. The failure to prioritise our diaspora means that we do not have such an agreement or arrangement in place today. Can we agree today that the Department of Transport will ensure that it and the RSA will give equal priority to agreements and solutions for returning Irish citizens?

It is not a question of political will. We all accept the great need to have that piece around connectivity. As I said at the beginning, entering into a driving licence exchange agreement is complex. It is not straightforward. We completely agree that we need to find the solution going forward. Let us have the solution. I commend the publication of the report and the work that has been done genuinely.

A solution-----

Whoa, whoa. Taistil go mall.

I know.

I do not disagree with the roadmap; the question is how you get to the end of the road. What we cannot do - and if we were to do so, the Deputy would come in here and excoriate me - is compromise on road standards and safety. We must engage. That is the one thing we will do. I will take back to the RSA and the Department the need to go through the report and meet with the group. They are fine people. I know them. Larry McCarthy, the former president of the GAA, has been on to me and I have spoken to him about this. We have seen an increase in fatalities on our roads in recent years and we cannot relax standards in that regard. We must ensure that the driving licence regime is robust and can stand up. I do not think any of us want to relax standards, and the report is very clear on that. We must ensure, where possible, that anybody who has passed a practical driving test to Irish standards obtains an Irish licence. Again, however, this is not as straightforward as we think. I am happy to advocate and to continue to ensure, as we have done in the programme for Government, that we have that reciprocal arrangement such that road safety and keeping Irish roads safe are the priority for all of us. Linked to the campaign about bringing people home, we must be able to ensure that anyone who obtains an Irish licence has passed a practical roads driving test that is up to our standards. I will work with the Deputy. There is more that unites us than divides us.