With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle I propose to take questions Nos. 14, 15, 16 and 19 together.
There are 1,198 merchandise licences extant at the moment including 841 general haulage licences issued in 1933 and 1945, and 357 issued subsequently, the latter being restricted to specialised haulage of one kind or another; some licensees hold more than one licence and the total number of licensees is 1,086.
I am not satisfied that under the provisions of the 1944 Act I would be justified in granting licences for general haulage at the present time, but licences for specialised haulage are granted in cases where I am satisfied, as required by the Act, that they meet an inadequacy of transport. Such licences are granted fairly frequently.
The requirement to have a certificate of competence arises under a 1974 EEC directive and is designed to improve standards in road freight haulage. It will apply only to hauliers who commenced business on or after the 1st January, 1975.
As regards the other matters raised and in particular the question of the introduction of a Road Transport Bill, it is my intention to introduce such a Bill in the near future. I am not in a position to give an indication of the content of the Bill at this stage.