Richard Bruton
Question:155 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Transport the final terms under which taxi hardship payments will be made; the timescale for payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24674/03]
Written Answers. - Taxi Hardship Panel.
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. Any payments to be made on foot of these recommendations will not represent compensation but rather compassionate payments in respect of extreme personal financial hardship. Area Development Management Limited, ADM, has been engaged to administer and manage a scheme to implement the recommendations of the taxi hardship panel report.
An application form is in the final stages of preparation and I expect that it will be made available to potential applicants in the very near future. Its availability will be advertised in the national newspapers. ADM will commence assessing applications as soon as the application forms are returned to them. I expect that the assessment process will get under way during the month of November and that the first payments under the process will be made before the end of the year. Payments will be made on the basis of the parameters set out in the taxi hardship panel report. The requirements in terms of information to be provided and conditions to be met in respect of the various categories for which the taxi hardship panel recommended payments will be set out in the application form and associated explanatory material.