Foreign Affairs

Blue Star Programme increases knowledge of EU for Primary Pupils – Doyle

graham 2014, Dáil Éireann, Foreign Affairs, Wicklow - East Carlow

BlueStarProgrammeWicklow Schools encouraged to register as Deadline is extended

Andrew Doyle TD invites Primary Schools across County Wicklow to take the opportunity to learn more about the European Union and its relevance to our daily lives by registering for the Blue Star Programme.

“This Programme now in its 4th year aims to foster better understanding and knowledge of Europe among Irish primary pupils, through classroom projects and activities.

“Since it’s introduction, over 300 schools and 15,000 pupils across Ireland have taken part, many choosing to repeat the Programme another year. The Blue Star Programme is a venture of the Communicating Europe Initiative, supported by the Office of the Minister of State for European Affairs and Data Protection in the Department of the Taoiseach, the European Commission Representation in Ireland, the European Parliament Information Office in Ireland, and the Department of Education and Skills. The Programme is managed by European Movement Ireland.

“An essential part of the programme is a visit to participating schools from the local TD or Senator to view the project work and/or award the Blue Star, and as such, provides a great opportunity for students to see the Blue Star Programme in action.

While there is an official deadline for schools to submit applications this week, applications will continue to be accepted over the coming weeks.

“The European Union exerts a strong influence on our daily lives and it is important to highlight its relevance to our student population. This is a very worthwhile initiative for Primary Schools, also given the increased numbers of children in our schools from a non-Irish family background. I would be hopeful that all schools in Wicklow would encourage participation in the Blue Star Programme and I am available to visit schools for this purpose.”

Full details on the programme are available at http://www.europeanmovement.ie/blue-star/

Doyle welcomes agreement with Ontario on driving licences

Andrew 2014, Foreign Affairs, Transport, Wicklow - East Carlow

IrishDrivingLicences-OldandNew

SEE UPDATE HERE FROM OCTOBER 2014.

Fine Gael TD for Wicklow/East Carlow, Andrew Doyle, has welcomed an agreement signed today (Wednesday) by the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar TD, which will allow for the mutual recognition of driving licences between Ireland and Ontario. For the last year, Deputy Doyle has been calling for agreements to be reached between the Irish and Canadian authorities to allow for the recognition of Irish driving licences.

“Since last year I have been urging the Minister to progress this issue so Irish people living and working in Canada can legitimately use their Irish driving licences. Irish driving licences are recognised throughout the 28 EU Member States, and driving licence recognition agreements are already in place with a number of other countries. However, up to this point, Ireland and Canada have had no such agreement, so I am delighted positive progress is now being made.

“Minister Varadkar had asked the Road Safety Authority (RSA) to open discussions on the matter with Canadian authorities. He asked them to prioritise Ontaria, which has the largest number of Irish residents of any of the Canadian residents. The hard work of the RSA and the Irish Embassy in Ottawa has delivered this agreement, which will make a big difference to Irish people living in Ontario.

“Canada, unlike Ireland, has a decentralised driving licence system, meaning each State and territory has its own licensing system. But Minister Varadkar has said that now that this agreement has been reached with the authorities in Ontario, it should be possible to reach speedy agreements with the other Canadian provinces.

“Some provinces such as Alberta have relaxed restrictions on Irish licence holders, allowing Irish licence holders exemptions for their province’s graduated driving licence system.  Now that mutual recognition has been reached with Ontario, I hope progress can be achieved in other areas like Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut.

“The agreement with Ontario is expected to come into effect within the next fortnight. I will continue to work closely with Minister Varadkar to ensure that we can reach agreements with the other Canadian provinces to make it easier for Irish citizens living there to have their driving licences recognised.”

See Deputy Andrew Doyle’s previous work on the issue in February 2014 here and August 2013 here.