Vol. 554 No. 5
1241 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Transport if a compensation payment will be made to a person (details supplied) in Dublin 12 who pays ?880 per month for a taxi plate on a 15 year basis, ?360 per month for the car, and ?2,200 per year insurance, given that the taxi plate cannot be sold. [16429/02]
The courts have clarified on a number of occasions since 1992 that there can be no legal duty on the State to compensate taxi licence holders in relation to open market values of licences. This position was confirmed in a further High Court judgment given in March 2001 following an action instigated by taxi interests which, among other things, sought a direction from the court in relation to compensation for losing market value.
The Government has recognised, however, that some difficulties might be caused by the new taxi regime for some existing taxi licence holders and it would be appropriate to acknowledge the efforts that have been made to address those difficulties.
In the first instance, arrangements were made for the introduction of a scheme of refunds by certain local authorities in relation to taxi licence fees charged at above the default level fixed in 1995. The Government also appointed a panel of three independent persons to report in general terms on the nature and extent of extreme personal financial hardship which may have been experienced by individual taxi licence holders arising from loss of income as a direct result of the liberalisation of entry to the taxi industry on 21 November 2000. The panel was also asked to include in its report an estimate of the numbers of individual licence holders involved, the likely financial implications and the recommended criteria for assessment of extreme personal financial hardship under any subsequent proposed response by Government.
Individual holders of a taxi or a wheelchair accessible taxi licence at 21 November 2000 who considered that they had suffered extreme personal financial hardship arising from taxi liberalisation made submissions to the panel and more than 2,000 were received.
I have recently received a copy of the panel's report and will give it careful consideration, following which I will submit it to Government.
Question No. 1242 answered with Question No. 1232.
