A bill allowing former drug users to be allowed to renew their professional driving licences was presented on Wednesday to the House legal committee by Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis, who said this would “lift an injustice”.

Dipa MP Marinos Moushouttas said the bill affected about 40 taxi drivers, who since an amendment in 2019 could not renew their professional driving licences.

With the new bill, they would be able to by agreeing to random blood tests.

Chairman of the committee Disy MP Nikos Tornaritis agreed with the proposed legislation.

However, Hartsiotis expressed reservations about the effectiveness of blood tests, adding that the bill provided three random tests per year and that the driving test should be retaken in certain cases.

He said the ministry’s opinion was that a person would have to wait ten years after conviction or seven years after release from prison before being able to apply for a renewal.