An Independent TD has raised concerns about the loss of walk-in appointments at National Driving Licence Services across the country.
Michael McNamara raised the issue - which will impact offices in Skibbereen, Mallow and the City - with Junior Transport Minister Hildegard Naughton in the Dáil yesterday evening.
Walk-in services were replaced with an appointment based system during the pandemic, however the Junior Transport Minister said in the Dáil that the walk-in service will not return.
Speaking to RedFM News, Independent TD Michael McNamara outlines his objections:
"A lot of people have difficulty going online. Secondly, if you ring the telephone number, and I've had a number of constituents come into me with long delays. I had one 80 year old woman complain that she was on the telephone for an hour and a half. And of course, if you want to renew your driving licence online, you need to have a Public Service Cards and that's despite a Data Protection Commissioner investigation into the legality of the Public Service Card, which found that there was no lawful basis for a person to be told that they need a public service card for anything other than accessing social welfare or benefits."
RedFM News has contacted the Department of Transport for a statement.
