Changes sought to how emigrant drivers tested

A local councillor has criticised how returning Irish emigrants with foreign driving licences are continuing to find it difficult to get back on the road.

Currently drivers holding a full foreign licence, not exchangeable for an Irish permit, must complete the full learning process, which includes theory test, a mandatory six Essential Driver Training (EDT) lessons, down from 12, and the driving competency test.

This has caused difficulties for many Irish emigrants, particularly from the US and parts of Canada, and their plight is being exacerbated further by the fact that in Cavan, according to the most recent figures, the earliest date for a test is towards the end of the first quarter of 2023.

Waits in Cavan are up to two and a half months longer than some other local centres.

The number of “new Irish” and also Ukrainian refugees arriving to the country seeking licences has also had an impact.

Independent Shane P O’Reilly raised the matter at the November monthly meeting of elected members, where he said that those who moved home also have to contend with higher car insurance on top of other expenses.

He said while the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) do “great work”, the delay for returning emigrants to get a new licence can be anywhere between “six and eight months”.

He said he was aware of one case in particular where the applicant had over 40 years of driving experience.

“It’s an ongoing problem,” he told the meeting, calling for more resources to be assigned to help deal with the backlog in the system.

Fine Gael’s TP O’Reilly supported Cllr O’Reilly comments, demanding that something is urgently done to “speed up the process”.