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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 4 Mar 1998

Vol. 488 No. 2

Ceisteanna — Questions. - Departmental Task Forces.

John Bruton

Question:

8 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the number of Government task forces in which his Department is involved. [5780/98]

There are no task forces under the aegis of my Department. However, my Department is represented on the Task Force on the Implementation of the Report of the Commission on the Status of People with Disabilities, which is under the aegis of the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform and the Implementation Task Force on Communicating Europe, which is now under the aegis of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

What about the taxi forum? Is that not a Government task force?

That forum is not under my Department.

Is the Taoiseach's Department represented on the taxi forum? Is his office not responsible for the establishment of that forum? When does he expect the forum to report?

There is a representative of my Department on the taxi forum. I was responsible for advancing this issue. The original plan was that it would report in the summer and I hope that still holds.

The Taoiseach accepts responsibility for the establishment of the forum. However, if the forum is not under the aegis of the Department of the Taoiseach to whom does it report?

It will send its proposals to the local authorities and the Minister for the Environment and Local Government.

Which Department provides the secretariat for the forum?

The secretariat is provided by the Dublin Transportation Initiative.

So the Taoiseach established a forum for which he has no political responsibility?

I have answered questions on the forum on the Order of Business and during Question Time. I do not take responsibility for answering questions on every initiative that I bring forward. I take a policy brief and watch what happens. I did so on two or three occasions to ensure that the forum was properly established, is operating and that people are co-operating with it. There was some difficulty in getting such co-operation in the early stages. There was also difficulty agreeing terms of reference which were acceptable to everyone. I intervened in those instances but I am not involved in the day to day work of the forum.

Is the Taoiseach aware that some people regard the establishment of the taxi forum not as an initiative but as a delaying tactic? Why did his reply not refer to the Cabinet sub-committee on poverty under the national anti-poverty strategy? Does that sub-committee not operate under the aegis of his Department? Does the efficiency audit group which produced reports on the Garda Siochána and the Defence Forces not operate under the aegis of his Department?

My Department is represented on about 30 different bodies, groups, councils, fora and committees. They are not task forces in the sense implied by the question. My Department is involved in the issues covered by these groups such as the NESF and NESC on which I regularly answer questions in the House. I do not consider the taxi forum a delaying tactic. We might get somewhere as a result of it. Efforts have been wasted during the past few years because we have not managed to resolve the issue. The only way we will resolve it is by recognising the reality. Every time this issue is examined people ignore the fact that there are more people than taxis. Cosies, hackneys and other operators are now taking a bigger slice of the business. People also take the view that taxi drivers with full plates have no rights. I take a different view, they have some rights.

Cosies drive taxis.

They are not the same.

They drive taxis.

It would not be a good idea for the Deputy to go to north Dublin and tell a taxi driver that he is a cosy or a hackney.

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