AT IT'S MONTHLY meeting the members of Sligo County Council unanimoulsy adopted a motion tabled by Cllr Declan Bree,opposing the centralisation of the driving licence system.

Speaking to the motion Cllr Bree said "Local authorities have an exemplary track record in the management, operation and production of driver licences since the inception of the system 50 years ago.  According to the Value for Money Audit, public satisfaction with the delivery of service has been recorded as satisfactory by 95% of users.

"However it would now appear that the responsibility for driver licences will be taken away for local authorities and transferred to the auspices of the Road Safety Authority and that the system will be centralised.

"I fear that the centralisation of the system runs the risk of a substantially inferior service being delivered to the public in general and to licence holders and applicants in particular.  

"Local public representatives can confirm that the recent centralisation of the Medical Card system hasn’t worked and it is causing significant difficulties for the public.

"No coherent rationale has been presented for the proposal to centralise and to my knowledge there has been no cost benefit analysis carried out.  In addition no public consultation has taken place on the matter.

"Employees and the trade unions representing Council staff quite rightly see this as another example of the dismantling of local authority services."

Cllr Bree then proposed the following motion which was adopted by the Council: “Recognising: (a) that local authorities have an exemplary track record in the management, operation and production of driver licences since the inception of the system almost fifty years ago; (b) that the centralisation of the system runs the risk of a substantially inferior service being delivered to the public; (c) that no coherent rationale has been presented for the centralisation of the system; (d) that no public consultation has taken place on the matter; Sligo County Council calls on the government to engage in constructive discussion and consultation with stakeholders and with the IMPACT trade union representing local authority staff, with a view to delivering efficiencies in the operation of the driver licence function.”