Irish US driver's licence exchange committee hold positive meeting with minister

MEMBERS of the Irish US Driver's Licence Exchange Committee, co-chaired by Mayo native Ciaran Staunton, held a positive and constructive meeting with Minister of State for Transport Sean Canney and colleagues at his office at Dáil Éireann yesterday.

Discussions focused on two major recommendations: the need to restore Irish driving licences to returning Irish citizens if they have a current licence from another country; and the benefits of pursuing a unilateral approach to exchanging driver’s licences from the US as a whole.

The committee, some of whom have been impacted by this issue, say restoring the expired licences of Irish citizens if they hold a current licence from another country is a simple and just solution to a problem that is affecting the returning diaspora. It is also a safe solution, as these are experienced drivers.

To ensure they are familiar with current road signs, configurations, regulations and safety, they suggested to the minister that the theory test could be added as a requirement for licence renewal.

In a statement, the committee said: “It is well understood that the 'gold standard' of pursuing reciprocal agreements with individual US states is a slow and arduous process. The unilateral approach we propose avoids unnecessary 'gold plating' of EU regulations, is consistent with the EU Directive and follows practices in several other EU countries. It can more rapidly deliver the government’s objective with significantly less workload for the Department of Transport and the RSA.'

Members were happy to learn that the minister will raise this with his European transport colleagues during the Irish presidency of the EU.

The statement added: “Ireland is a country with strong linkages - both business and cultural - with the United States and a global diaspora that we are energetically encouraging to return. We want to welcome those who come to work or return home, yet the problem of being unable to drive unaccompanied for several months both deters and significantly impacts those we seek to attract.

“We look forward to continued dialogue with the minister, the department and the RSA as they work to develop and implement these solutions.”