Brexit days of grace for drivers

Juno McEnroe Political Correspondent

Brexit days of grace for drivers

The Government has committed to allowing a grace period of a few months for motorists coming from the North if there is a no-deal Brexit and said they will not require special green cards.

Disagreement over the special international insurance cards yesterday triggered rows in the Dáil.

TDs approved emergency legislation on protection measures in the event of a no-deal earlier than expected. The so-called Omnibus Bill will now proceed to the Seanad.

But with just over three weeks until the March 29 Brexit deadline, there is still no final deal between the EU and UK over the withdrawal agreement. Key votes by British MPs next week will decide whether a deal is accepted or ultimately whether Britain seeks an extension to the deadline.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar confirmed to the Dáil yesterday that drivers coming from the North would be exempt from needing to have the green card, which provides proof of cover.

It is estimated that up to a million drivers on both sides of the border will need these special green forms. Mr Varadkar said no such promise of grace could be given to drivers going North — this is a decision for the British government.

“There will be a grace period for people who are based in Northern Ireland and coming south and have insurance but not a green card. We cannot make a commitment on behalf of the government in Northern Ireland because there is not one, and we cannot make commitments on behalf of the UK government,” he said.

Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty said the demand for green cards, echoed by insurers yesterday, goes against the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement:

Many people are incredibly angry, there’s a lack of certainty over how the green card position will operate.

“My own insurance company say they will start to issue them after March 29, but what will happen to motorists on March 30, who will not have a green card and our cars can be impounded if we travel to the North?”

Mr Varadkar said the Government is in talks with Brussels about financial aid for farmers in the event of a no-deal. “In case there is no deal, we are working closely with the European Commission to put in place financial supports that will be necessary to bail out the industry in order to defend incomes and jobs, which is our priority at the moment,” he said.

Fianna Fáil TD Lisa Chambers said firms and exporters want more details of aid. She insisted any changes in negotiations with Britain on Brexit could “not undermine” the withdrawal deal.

Emergency legislation to ensure services, pension payments, and transport continues unaffected in the event of a no-deal has finished the final stage in the Dáil and now goes to the Seanad for debate.

Meanwhile, Tánaiste Simon Coveney met Britain’s Prince Charles and wife Camilla at an Irish embassy-hosted St Patrick’s Day dinner in London last night.

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