Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 January 2022
282. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Transport the new supports he is putting in place for taxi drivers to account for the significant downturn in business due to the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2321/22]
View answerI recognise that the SPSV industry has been badly affected by COVID-19 which, for an extended period, brought about an almost complete collapse in passenger demand for taxi and other Small Public Service Vehicle (SPSV) services. While recent months saw a welcome return of demand, with the National Transport Authority (NTA) reporting 86% of drivers back working in October, the recent increase in infection rates late last year gave rise to the necessary reintroduction of a number of Covid related restrictions. Conscious of the potential impact of such restrictions on affected sectors and society in general, the Government has sought to ensure that any restrictions are targeted and appropriate and is continuing to closely monitor the situation as it develops.
In the meantime, I can confirm that the vast majority of measures that we have taken to support the taxi industry from the start of the pandemic remain in place and, as such, I do not consider that there is a need to introduce new or additional supports.
I understand that as many as 70% of SPSV drivers availed of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment at the height of the pandemic. As the Deputy may be aware, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) has been reopened for a limited time to support people who lose their employment as a result of the new COVID public health restrictions from Tuesday 7 December 2021. Self-employed SPSV operators can continue to claim the PUP and earn up to €960 in a given 8-week period, net of expenses.
In addition, support for SPSV operators continues to be available through a series of specific measures designed to support the sector, with a view to addressing statutory costs faced by operators which cannot be deferred. Standard licence renewal fees for SPSVs were waived in 2021 and are being waived again in 2022 at an estimated cost of €3 million. The NTA has put in place schemes to refund the Motor Tax paid by SPSV operators in the period 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2022 and to waive NCT fees for the same period. Further details on these schemes are available on the NTA website.
The NTA has also waived standard age limits for taxis and hackneys through to the end of 2022, thereby ensuring no operator exits the industry simply because of the need to replace a vehicle.
Many of the major costs faced by SPSV operators, such as insurance and dispatch operator fees, can be deferred or cancelled during a period of inactivity.
Recognising that the replacement of a vehicle is the single largest cost faced by any SPSV operator, and in view of my commitment to support the transition of the SPSV fleet towards zero/low-emission vehicles, we have confirmed that there will be a further reiteration of the current eSPSV Grant Scheme this year, following the allocation of funding as part of the Budget 2022 process.
There was an exceptionally high take up rate for the eSPSV grant scheme in 2021: it received a total of 1,488 applications, and, at the beginning of November, approximately €8.5 million had been paid to applicants with the remainder of funding allocated to applicants with current provisional grant offers. In addition, Microfinance Ireland announced on 9 September that a loan finance up to €25,000 was available to support applicants to the Scheme, as many SPSV owners were finding it difficult to secure finance from banks and other commercial lending providers. Further information on this facility is available from Microfinance Ireland.
