Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 April 2025
285. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Transport the timeframe for the driver file record database to hold all the necessary details, including the unique driver number of all drivers disqualified, for Gardaí and motor insurers to access that data in real time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15177/25]
View answer289. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Transport further to Parliamentary Question No. 285 of 19 March 2025, if the updated information that An Garda Siochana receive on a daily basis on named drivers includes the unique driver number of each driver named on a policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15202/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 285 and 289 together.
My Department holds the National Vehicle and Driver File (NVDF) which records driver licence data for all drivers in the state, including driver number and disqualification status.
An Garda Síochána receive a nightly file from my Department which, from March 2025, will include the disqualification status of every driving licence. These data are used by frontline Gardaí on mobility devices at the roadside.
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland (MIBI) is responsible for the Irish Motor Insurance Database (IMID) which contains details of all vehicles and drivers who hold policies of motor insurance. From 31 March 2025 IMID will include driver numbers collected by those issuing motor insurance policies and verified against my Department’s NVDF database. The data (which include driver number) from IMID is transferred nightly to An Garda Síochána for their use on mobility devices.
Motor insurers will not have access to real-time data on driver disqualifications from the NVDF 31 March 2025 as this will require IT changes both in my Department and in the many insurer and broker IT platforms. This also means that the nightly data feed from IMID to An Garda Síochána will not contain disqualification information. However, as stated above An Garda Síochána have access to this information directly from my Department.
