Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 10 November 2020
287. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Transport if he will consider introducing a package of financial measures for older taxi drivers wishing to exit the industry in view of the difficulties they are experiencing due to Covid-19; if they will be given compensation for transferring their taxi licences to younger taxi drivers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35381/20]
View answerThe Government recognises that the trading environment for self-employed individuals remains difficult. Accordingly the Pandemic Unemployment Payment will continue until 1 April 2021. Self-employed recipients, including SPSV drivers, can earn up to €480 per month while still receiving the payment. Furthermore, individuals exiting that payment may avail of the COVID-19 Enterprise Support Grant, a once-off grant of up to €1,000 which can be used towards the costs associated with reopening a business, including the purchase of cleaning materials and personal protective equipment.
These measures build on the supports provided since the start of the pandemic. The NTA took action at the outset of COVID-19 to support the SPSV sector, such as licence extensions, the waiver of late renewal feels, and facilitating the suspension of SPSV insurance for those operators who decided to temporarily stop working and suspend their licence. The NTA has also extended age limits for vehicles that were due to reach them since March until the end of 2020, and are currently considering extending them further until the end of 2021.
Furthermore, the Deputy will be aware that the recently published Budget 2021 contained further measures to aid SPSV operators. My Department will provide funding to the NTA to enable it to waive standard SPSV licence renewal fees in 2021. A €15 million scrappage scheme has also been introduced to encourage operators of older vehicles to switch to electric vehicles.
The transfer of small public service vehicle licences, as suggested by the Deputy, is prohibited under section 14(1) of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013. There are no plans to adjust this provision at this time, the rationale being that a licence should indicate a person’s suitability to carry out a function and should not have, by association, a monetary value or be tradeable on the open market or redeemable for a value. There is, therefore, no basis for introducing the type of compensation scheme suggested by the Deputy.
