Cork TD Michael Collins continues advocacy
Cork South-West TD Michael Collins has made strong statements in the Dail and in the press about people affected by the barriers to getting drivers license when they return to Ireland - and he is proposing a technical fix that would help some of those affected while also advocating for broader reform.
He suggests that authorities could change the law to allow those who once held an Irish driver license to renew their licenses no matter how long it has been since they held them. Current EU regulations allow renewals for up to ten years after the license expires.
Collins brought up the issue with Tanaiste Simon Harris during Leaders' Questions in the Dáil.
“I am demanding that the Road Safety Authority and the National Driver Licence Service revise their current exclusionary policy, recognise previous Irish driver licences and abolish the ten-year limit. This is a straightforward action that would have zero impact on road safety.”
“It would immediately support the Irish diaspora and returning Irish citizens. In parallel, as a solution to the broader problem, government could easily request the RSA and the NDLS to develop a proposal for a pragmatic and risk-based process for exchange of foreign driving licences, building on best practices and precedent from other EU countries.”
Deputy Collins concluded, “It is situations such as these that reveal how bankrupt we are in terms of being able to bring forward simple and straightforward solutions to a problem that should have been resolved 20 years ago.”
Watch the clip from Leaders’ Questions.
