Pearse Doherty
Question:220. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Transport if he has considered allowing the transferring of taxi licences; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3199/23]
View answerTuesday, 24 January 2023
Questions (220)
Written answers
The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry including licensing, is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016.
The Deputy may be aware that the transfer of licences for SPSVs is, at present, prohibited under section 14(1) of the Taxi Regulation Act, 2013. All SPSV vehicle licences are unique to the person to whom the licence has been issued and cannot be transferred or sold to another person.
The current licensing regime is built on the principle that a licence should have no monetary value or be traded on the open market and should simply indicate a person’s suitability to carry out the role of taxi operator, as decided by Revenue, An Garda Síochána and the National Transport Authority (NTA).
In line with its functions under the Taxi Regulation Act, 2013, the NTA requested the Advisory Committee on Small Public Service Vehicles to conduct a review of the issue of licence transferability. The Committee had been preparing advice on transferability for both single licence holders and corporate taxi businesses prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, when all such matters were paused to deal with the urgent supports within its remit.
The Advisory Committee submitted a report and recommendations on this issue to the Minister and the NTA in late 2022. Both the Minister and the NTA are examining the advice received from the Committee on this issue, and a decision will be made in due course.