§ Lady HermonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which countries are on the list of those whose driving licence is transferable to a Northern Ireland one; what criteria are used in deciding whether a country's driving licence is transferable to Northern Ireland; for what reason South Africa is excluded from this list; and what plans he has to amend the arrangements to include South Africa. [138726]
§ Angela SmithThere are 14 countries and territories currently designated for the purposes of exchangeable licences in Northern Ireland, namely Australia, Austria, Barbados, the Republic of Cyprus, Finland, Gibraltar, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, Sweden and Zimbabwe, and the territories of Hong Kong and the British Virgin Islands.
In determining the suitability of a country for exchange purposes, the driver testing and licensing systems are assessed, to ensure that the drivers meet standards that are comparable to those in Northern Ireland. This includes an assessment of the driving test, the integrity of licensing system and the nature and format of the licence itself.
With regard to the Republic of South Africa (RSA), it is accepted that the nature of the driving test and the general driving standards are comparable to those in Northern Ireland. However, further consideration is being given to the integrity of the system for issuing licences. Furthermore, the RSA driving licence does not 477W indicate whether it has been issued in exchange for a licence from a third country. This is important since the standards in that third country may not have been assessed against Northern Ireland standards.
The Department of the Environment is continuing to assess the suitability of licences from RSA for exchange. The Department is also developing proposals to amend the relevant legislation to enable selective recognition of licences from other countries so that, for example, licences which had been issued in exchange for a licence from a third country, which does not meet Northern Ireland standards, could be excluded from the exchange arrangements. This will bring exchange arrangements in Northern Ireland into line with those in Great Britain. Depending on the availability of legislative opportunities, it is hoped to have the amendment in place before the end of 2005.