Blessed with a State car, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern's lack of a driving licence will not cause him problems, following Seamus Brennan's edict that drivers should carry them at all times.
Yesterday, the Government Press Office insisted Mr Ahern once had a full licence, but it expired on an unknown date over the last 18 years.
Since his 1982 appointment as Government Chief Whip, Mr Ahern has been supplied with a State car and drivers, while Fianna Fáil supplied transport during his mid-90s spell in Opposition. The Taoiseach's unerring ability to cause confusion about the simplest of matters continued yesterday when he was questioned on RTÉ. He acknowledged his licence was out of date, but left open the possibility he might never have got beyond the "L" plate stage. "I don't have a current driving licence because I don't drive. And if I was to drive, I'd have to follow the laws as anybody else," he declared.
Questioned about the 1987 amnesty for provisional drivers, Mr Ahern said: "I was asked yesterday did I apply, did I use the amnesty in 1987? I could have and I didn't. So the fact is I don't have a current licence."
