Justice Fergus Flood, chairperson on the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities, in his 1994 report highlighed the depths of isolation and exclusion which distressed disabled people in our society because of the denial of access to public transport. This single issue of transport is a major obstacle to giving people with disabilities greater equality in Irish life. In reply to a recent parliamentary question tabled by the Progressive Democrats, the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications stated that Bus Éireann has no immediate plans to introduce wheelchair accessible buses in Cork or elsewhere on its service network. I am amazed at this callous rejection by the Government of basic public transport for people in wheelchairs.
My question tonight specifically relates to the availability of wheelchair accessible taxis. I am aware that the Minister recently transferred the function of awarding licences for taxis and wheelchair accessible taxis to local authorities as a reserved function to be exercised by the elected councillors on the basis of a points system. I welcome this change in so far as it is transferring functions from central to local government which my party has been advocating for some time. However, merely transferring the function will not in itself achieve the availability of wheelchair accessible taxis unless some special measures are introduced to help overcome the high capital cost of purchasing suitably adapted vehicles.
I remind the Minister that the report of the interdepartmental committee to review the operation of small public service vehicles, which reported in May 1992, recommended in paragraph A. 10 that:
the capital cost of providing a vehicle which is fully wheelchair accessible is significantly higher than the cost of standard family saloon cars, which are currently used, and is a critical factor which has discouraged the introduction of such vehicles on a voluntary basis. Financial incentives are seen as an integral element of any package of measures to secure the availability of suitable vehicles.
It is stated in paragraph A.12 that:
while long-term objectives of achieving full access for people in wheelchairs to taxis are supported by the committee, it believes that short-term measures are also essential to secure an immediate improvement to the transport options available to people with disabilities.
I also remind the Minister of the conclusions of the ECMT International Seminar on Taxis which was held in Seville, Spain, in April 1992. Paragraph 8 of the summary of its report states that:
central regional and local government have vital roles to play in enabling people with mobility handicaps to make use of accessible taxi services, particularly by providing direct and indirect subsidies, as appropriate.
Paragraph 12 states that:
taxi operators should not be put at a competitive disadvantage by a requirement to provide accessible taxis. Governments should, therefore, consider the need for incentives to encourage the purchase of such vehicles.
I am informed that it would cost £30,000, at £22,000 plus the import duty, to import the particular type of vehicle required to facilitate wheelchair users. A taxi driver in Galway carried out a thorough investigation into the viability of changing from a traditional style saloon car taxi to the wheelchair accessible type and concluded that it would not be viable without financial aid — either direct subsidy or cancellation of import duty etc. An approach for financial assistance to the Galway County and City Enterprise Board elicited the following response from the chief executive officer:
Your proposal is of considerable interest, due mainly to the facilities which you propose to make available for the transportation of disabled or wheelchair bound passengers, and it was agreed that there may be considerable potential for the development of this aspect of the business. Regrettably, however, the County and City Enterprise Board are unable to approve your application at this moment but would be prepared to examine same again at their September or October meeting. I regret I cannot be of more help at this time.
I understand that the interdepartmental report recommended the issue of 50 additional licences for wheelchair accessible cabs in the Dublin taximeter area and that that has been acted on. However, it seems that no surveys to establish need have been carried out anywhere else. In Galway and similar areas it is clear that some financial incentive will be necessary to achieve the objective of having the transport needs of disabled people improved.
Having listened to the Minister's earlier response on the VRT and the £1,000 repayment on new cars which is to be made available to able bodied people, I look forward to his response with great interest.
