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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 24 Oct 2000

Vol. 524 No. 5

Adjournment Debate. - Taxi Licences.

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to address this issue.

It is now nearly a fortnight since the High Court issued its judgment in relation to the Government's half-hearted and half baked plans for additional taxi plates. After three years in power the Government's uninspiring proposals lie in tatters. Policy is as confused and unclear as it was the day the Government took office and we are no nearer to providing the travelling public with the taxi service it needs and deserves.

I want the Minister to clearly outline his views on the High Court judgment and to inform the House of the immediate steps he intends to take to solve the chronic taxi crisis. There has been a taxi crisis in Dublin for a number of years and in advance of the last general election the issue was being dealt with by the local authorities and the Dublin Transportation Office. Progress was slow but taxi licences were issued for the first time in years. However, that process was stopped in its tracks by the incoming Government and the Taoiseach in particular.

During the 1997 election campaign the strong links between key people in the taxi business and the Fianna Fáil Party in Dublin became abundantly clear. A number of Fianna Fáil candidates across the city had their name and the Fianna Fáil logo emblazoned on taxi cabs and the Taoiseach himself posed on the steps of Áras de Valera with taxi drivers proclaiming the merits of zero tolerance. In short, a section of the taxi industry was mobilised as the mechanised division of Fianna Fáil during that campaign. Is it any surprise that the Taoiseach directly involved himself in this issue after the election?

However, the Taoiseach's taxi forum proved to be little more than a talking shop. The abject fail ure of this body to make progress forced the Minister of State, Deputy Molloy, to issue his own proposals. Those proposals were a peculiar variation of the much vaunted Progressive Democrat belief in deregulation and competition, but probably the only proposals which Fianna Fáil would allow to emerge.

Those proposals have been dealt a terminal blow. The reality now is that after three years there is no Government policy in relation to taxis. The situation is more confused than ever and the Minister of State and the Government appear utterly without direction while confusion and lethargy are the order of the day. Meanwhile, the people of Dublin are expected to endure an appalling situation. The scarcity of taxis is intolerable. People are forced to queue for hours on end after a night out in an attempt to get home. Many people have to resort to walking home at all hours due to the lack of taxis while lengthy queues are regular features at the airport and the train stations. This simply cannot continue.

The first issue the Minister must deal with is the question of a Supreme Court appeal on foot of the High Court decision. A lengthy appeal process in the Supreme Court will tie up the whole issue and leave the travelling public without the taxis that are needed. While an appeal might provide the Government with a legal fig leaf for inaction, it is the responsibility of the Minister of State to avoid this. The Government should accept that its convoluted plan has been effectively blown out of the water and the proposals are off the table. Action, not lengthy litigation, is urgently needed. This action cannot be left to the courts to decide. It is the obligation of Government to devise and implement public policy, not the courts.

The Minister of State must put the needs of the travelling public first. The overwhelming demand for taxis cannot be denied any longer and that is the bottom line. In introducing more taxis the Minister of State must also recognise the investment that taxi drivers who own a single licence have made over recent years. Their investment and their livelihood cannot be wiped out overnight. However, the High Court judgment is quite clear that the Minister of State's current plan is impractical and flies in the face of the Road Traffic Act, 1961. The Minister of State should outline the action he now intends to take to at long last solve the taxi crisis which has deepened significantly in the lifetime of this Government.

High Court judicial review proceedings relating to the overall proposed scheme to increase Dublin taxi licence numbers and a range of provisions contained in the public service vehicles regulations were initiated on 7 February and a judgment was given on Friday, 13 October. However, the final determination of the judicial review, including the relevant orders of the High Court, will not be finalised until the judge has heard further from the various counsel on Tuesday next, 31 October.

The full implications of the decision will only become clear following the above process and detailed examination and analysis of the matter which is being urgently undertaken in my Department in consultation with the Attorney General's office and State counsel.

The judgment raises a number of complex issues, some of which may have repercussions for the legislative and regulatory code for taxis generally. It is clear that it puts in question the legislative basis for existing quantitative controls on taxi licences and the validity of the scheme to increase taxi numbers put in place by the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) (Amendment) Regulations, 2000. The decision may also have implications for the delegation of certain functions to local authorities, including the determination of the number of taxi licences to be granted and the determination of taxi licence fee levels. It may also require consideration of how wheelchair accessibility is to be maintained for the taxi fleet.

I assure the Deputy that the Government remains strongly committed to improving Dublin and other taxi services for the benefit of all concerned. Every effort will be made to provide for an increase in Dublin taxi licence numbers as quickly as possible with due regard to the court findings.

Greater increases in Dublin taxi licence numbers have already taken place within the term of this Government than under any other Government for more than 20 years. Since we entered office, taxi numbers in Dublin have risen by 750 and we announced last November that we were taking the radical step of issuing 3,100 additional taxi plates, more than doubling the existing fleet. No new taxi licences were issued in Dublin during the term of office of the previous Administration, of which Deputy Gilmore was part.

This Government has adopted progressive policy initiatives for improving Dublin taxi services. These have been complicated by the present judicial review but the direction and resolve of our reforms is not altered. I remain strongly convinced that public demand for taxis must be satisfied and I intend to work to ensure that this is done as quickly as possible.

The Dáil adjourned at 9.05 p.m. until 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 25 October 2000.

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