DRIVERS WHO HOLD an Irish licence and are disqualified from driving will also be disqualified in the UK, and vice versa.

Transport Minister Shane Ross and Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney were given Cabinet approval for a new agreement with the UK on the mutual recognition of driver disqualification in both countries.

A government spokesperson said clarity on the issue was needed in light of Brexit.

The 1998 EU Convention on Driving Disqualifications did allow for the transfer of such disqualifications. However, there had been confusion surrounding a number of cases since the UK pulled out of the EU directive in 2013.

Advice was sought by the Attorney General in 2014, and it was advised that a new agreement, replacing the old, was needed.

The agreement involves disqualification for offences that involve, reckless or dangerous driving, hit-and-run driving, driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, as well as speeding.

Disqualifications as a result of accumulating penalty points are not included in the arrangements, for the time being, as this would require further primary legislation.

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