Driver Licences
Seanad Éireann — 2026-05-21
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Mark Duffy (FG), Labour Panel

I thank the Minister of State for the reply. My motivation here is to make that it as easy as possible for people returning home and for a bit of flexibility to be given to them. I acknowledge the reply and understand it is so important we have safe roads and strong regulations in that way, but we also need to be dynamic, practical and fluid as we were during the invasion of Ukraine in the context of the unrest and ongoing war in the Middle East that have resulted in our citizens being displaced. It is great to see people returning home. We need to be as flexible as possible, so I would welcome it if the Minister of State spoke to the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, and the Department about the matter further in order to reiterate the ask. We should have a lever in place in order that, without too much work, a Minister or Minister of State can make a call very quickly and have something introduced. This is one example in that regard, but we all know that down the line there will be other wars or crises in different countries that will lead to people needing to return to Ireland. In those cases, we need to be ready to make it as easy as possible for them to return and set up their lives again here. It is something we should be prepared for, and I would appreciate the Minister of State's support.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-05-21/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:59+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-05-21