Vol. 545 No. 1
241 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will amend regulations in relation to the suitability of public service vehicles for disabled person usage so as to allow London taxis as used in Northern Ireland to be used here for the carriage of disabled persons and others. [29508/01]
It is my intention that the process of making all taxis wheelchair accessible will commence by the end of 2003. I have also made clear my intention to consult representatives of consumer groups, disabled persons, taxi service providers and so on to develop further improvements in quality for taxi services for the benefit of both the service providers and the general public in the medium term. The existing specification for a wheelchair accessible taxi may fall to be revised as part of this process.
Officials of my Department met the Irish suppliers of the vehicle in question, at their request, on 20 November 2001 when the above policy position was outlined. It was also explained that under existing regulations it would be open to holders of non-wheelchair accessible taxi licences to apply for the use of the vehicles in question as ordinary taxis, subject to compliance with normal taxi suitability and roadworthiness criteria.
