Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 12 December 2012
252. Deputy Jim Daly asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the reason SPSV's registered prior to January 2009 or their registered number is under 45,000 are permitted to use a vehicle up to 15 years old while SPSV's registered after that date or are numbered above 45,000 are only permitted to use a vehicle of up to ten years old; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55744/12]
View answerThe regulation of the taxi industry, including issues pertaining to vehicle age limit, is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the Taxi Regulation Act, 2003. The NTA is the lead agency with responsibility for implementation of the recommendations of the Taxi Regulation Review Report 2011. I am informed by the NTA that proposals to limit the age of operation of small public service vehicles (excluding limousines) to nine years of age were first mooted some years ago and those entrants to the taxi industry since January 2009 have entered that industry on the basis of the intended introduction of such age limits.
This position was then reflected in Action 10 of the Taxi Regulation Review Report published in January of this year, which recognised the January 2009 date. While the intention of that recommendation is that, over time, vehicles older than nine years will be removed from the taxi and hackney fleet, the report recommended a transitional arrangement to accommodate licence holders who had entered the industry prior to 2009. Those arrangements would permit the relevant vehicles to operate up to and including fourteen years, subject to passing a roadworthiness (NCT) test and an NTA Licence Renewal Assessment at six monthly intervals where the vehicle is over 9 years. I understand that the NTA is in the process of introducing regulations to give effect to these age related provisions.
