asked the Minister for the Environment, in view of the possible injustices arising from the use of the lottery system in choosing individuals eligible for new taxi licences, if the Minister would consider setting up a national system of choice based on technical, social and economic criteria of the proposed licensee.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Taxi Licence System.
15.
The Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations, 1978, provide, inter alia, that where the number of eligible applications for new taxi licences exceeds the number which may be granted as determined by the local authority, the applications to be granted will be determined by lot by the Garda Commissioner. The commissioner must be satisfied that a person to whom a licence is granted is a fit and proper person to hold such a licence. I made the regulations in agreement with the Taxi Services Council, which is representative of the interests concerned with the taxi business including taxi operators, tourism and consumer interests and I have no proposals at present to amend these regulations.
Would the Minister not agree that in the allocation of taxi licences, preference should be given to people who are unemployed or are already co-drivers? Ideally they should get preference in the allocation of taxis even under a lottery system.
The lottery will be set up by the gardai in each area and will be supervised by an officer of the Garda. I would like to emphasise that the Taxi Services Council, which I set up, recommended this and we agreed to give it a trial period of one year to see if it works. As it stands, there is no change intended on this occasion and we must hope that the lottery will not work against the people the Deputy is speaking about. Because the regulations were made last November and the lotteries are about to take place and different corporations have decided on the number of extra taxi plates that will be allocated, there will be no change this year.
In these very extensive regulations, 22 paragraphs, would it not have been possible for the Minister to take this point into consideration? I understand there are some 400 part-timers and some people with up to 11 plates. Surely provision could be included in the Minister's regulations to stop abuses of that kind in view of the Government's general policy that nobody should hold more than one job in order to promote full employment.
I understand the difficulties involved here with regard to part-timers and those who have more than one plate. This has been going on for some time. It would by my intention to prevent as an on-going situation such abuses and the regulations can be amended in the coming year.
When is the Minister likely to consider the inclusion of such a provision?
The usual time for renewal of tax licences was September but we had a long delay, first, due to the setting up of the taxi council and then because certain corporations were slow to decide on the number of extra licences. The result was that this has dragged on for a long time. I hope on the next occasion, based on the experience of this year, to be able to improve the terms of the regulations in order to eliminate the abuses the Deputy is concerned about.
Has the Minister received any communication from Dublin Corporation for representation on the taxi council and, if so, with what result?
The council were set up last autumn——
Did the Minister receive representation from Dublin City Council?
I believe I did. I received representations from many bodies with regard to the taxi council.
Did the Minister receive representations in connection with the council being represented on that body?
The city council are represented through one of the managers.
We are not; the manager represents the manager's association and not the city council.
He happens to be a Dublin City Manager.
He also happens to be a Catholic and that has nothing to do with it.
When we are reconstituting the council we will think of Dublin City Council.
Is the Minister favourably disposed towards the elimination of the multiplicity of licences and the employment, preferentially, of unemployed people?
I am.