172. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Transport the reason Irish citizens returning home from Australia are experiencing long delays with drivers’ license exchanges; if anything can be done to improve the turnaround times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46352/26]

The exchange of driving licences is managed through the National Driver Licence Service, the provision of which is delegated under national legislation to the Road Safety Authority, and neither I nor my officials have any role in the exchange application process. I have therefore referred your query regarding the licence exchange process to the Authority for direct reply. Please contact my office if a reply is not provided within 10 working days.

There are various factors which affect the time it takes to process licence exchange applications. For example, the applicant may need to submit outstanding information, such as a medical or eyesight report, or the physical driving licence in the case of an online application. The most common reason is in verification of the driving licence by the other licensing authority. At times a response is received very quickly but sometimes there can be delays.