Seán Ryan
Question:105 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Transport when issues regarding persons still repaying large taxi licence loans will be addressed further to the deregulation of the taxi industry. [18183/03]
Written Answers. - Taxi Regulations.
Seán Ryan
Question:106 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Transport his views on whether the recommendations of the taxi hardship panel are to be revisited in view of the report from the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament in respect of the taxi industry; and if he will report on the matter. [18184/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 105 and 106 together.
The Government has approved the implementation on a phased basis of the recommendations of the taxi hardship panel which was the independent three person panel established to report in general terms on the nature and extent of extreme personal financial hardship that may have been experienced by individual taxi licence holders arising from loss of income as a direct result of the liberalisation of the taxi market. The report of the taxi hardship panel recommends the establishment of a scheme to provide payments to individual taxi licence holders who fall into one of six categories that the panel assessed as having suffered extreme personal financial hardship arising from taxi liberalisation. Category 5 of the panel report refers to particular circumstances where large loan repayments are outstanding and these have been secured against the family home.
I am aware of the recent report of the EU committee on petitions in relation to their fact-finding mission to Ireland in connection with the effects of taxi liberalisation. I met with the delegation from the committee on 4 April 2003 and outlined the background to taxi liberalisation and the establishment of the independent three person taxi hardship panel to them. I also explained that based on legal precedent there can be no legal duty on the State to compensate taxi licence holders in relation to open market licence values that may have existed prior to liberalisation. This position remains unchanged and I have no proposals for any payments beyond the recommendations of the panel report.
The design and administration of a scheme to implement the recommendations of the taxi hardship panel and the arrangements to facilitate the making of payments to eligible persons is being progressed as quickly as possible so as to ensure that applications are dealt with on a confidential and objective basis. Every effort is being made to put in place a structure to facilitate the commencement of payments on the basis of the panel recommendations as soon as possible.