455. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Transport the position regarding his meeting with an organisation (details supplied). [56555/26]

As Minister of State for International & Road Transport, Logistics, Rail & Ports, I wish to advise that, in May, Department officials and I met with representatives of the Irish/US Licence Exchange Committee. At that meeting, we noted the issues raised by the Committee. Department officials are now considering these matters in the context of Irish road safety policy and the requirements of Irish and European driving licence legislation.

Irish driver licensing operates within a framework of EU law, which sets out the driver licensing legislation with which all Member States must comply. Licence formats, vehicle categories and driving test standards are all set at EU level. As all Member States test drivers to the same standards, there can be mutual recognition of driving licences.

The main purpose of licence exchange agreements with non-EU jurisdictions is to similarly ensure that anyone from those jurisdictions, who wishes to obtain an Irish driving licence by exchange, has been tested at an equivalent standard to drivers who passed a test in Ireland. In addition, an agreement allows for arrangements to be put in place for the verification of licences produced for exchange, to confirm whether the licence is valid and that the applicant is the licence holder. These processes are essential to protect the safety of Irish road users and the integrity of the Irish licensing system and a bilateral agreement is the most effective way to achieve this.

One of the commitments in the Programme for Government 2025 is to “Work to facilitate the easier return to Ireland for emigrants, including reciprocal driving licence arrangements with the USA, Australia and Canada”.

Ireland has a licence exchange agreement with Australia and with 7 of the 10 Canadian provinces and, in line with the Programme for Government commitment, the Road Safety Authority is currently progressing a licence exchange agreement with Nova Scotia.

As each US state is responsible for its own driver licensing system, and testing standards and processes may vary widely, Ireland can only consider agreements with individual states. At my request, the RSA is engaging with the US states of New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, to assess the feasibility of exchange agreements with those states.