Vol. 543 No. 5
365 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his views whether the deregulation of taxis has made a noticeable difference to taxi users during peak times; if he will reconsider his decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27518/01]
The November 2000 regulations provided a revised basis for taxi licensing following a High Court decision which created the legal position that the limitation of taxi licences in the interests of existing licence holders could not be sustained. The regulations responded to the reality of the new legal situation and sought to establish orderly licensing arrangements within it. The Government is committed to the implementation of this new regime which, I believe, is already bringing significant benefits to the public through the increased availability of taxis.
Dublin Corporation, as the largest taxi licensing authority in the country, has engaged consultants to carry out a customer service assessment to compare current service levels with those obtaining during the last such assessment in 1998 and to identify potential areas for further service improvement. I anticipate that this study will provide more broadly based and up to date information on the level of taxi services in Dublin and on the impact of the liberalisation of taxi services under the new regime.
