Vol. 463 No. 8
96 Mr. Lawlor asked the Minister for the Environment the plans, if any, he has to amend the public service vehicles regulations to allow for a separate category of licence for chauffeur-driven vehicles, as distinct from current hackney-taxi licences, in view of correspondence (details supplied); his views on whether such action would have the support of major interested bodies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7410/96]
Regulations which came into force on 1 September 1995 provide a new system for the licensing of taxis and hackneys by local authorities. The regulations allow individual authorities to decide the fees payable for the grant or renewal of taxi and hackney licences and the number of licences to be issued.
I have no proposals to amend the 1995 Regulations at this stage to provide for separate treatment of chauffeur-driven vehicles, but I intend to review them in the light of experience of their operation and of submissions such as that referred to in the question. I do not think that it would be right to initiate any such review until at least one year after the commencement of the new system.
