Vol. 566 No. 4
224 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Transport if the recommendations of the European Parliament Committee on Petitions report of 28 April 2003 on taxi deregulation here have been accepted by the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13198/03]
I am aware of the recent report of the EU Committee on Petitions in relation to their fact finding mission to Ireland in connection with the effects of taxi liberalisation. These recommendations have not been formally presented to the Government.
The taxi hardship panel was an independent panel of three persons who were appointed to report in general terms on the nature and extent of extreme personal financial hardship which may have been experienced by individual taxi licence holders as a direct result of the liberalisation of entry to the taxi industry on 21 November 2000. It was made clear at the outset that based on legal precedent there can be no legal duty on the State to compensate taxi licence holders in relation to open market licence values that may have existed prior to taxi liberalisation.
The recommendations of the panel were accepted by the Government which approved their implementation on a phased basis on 17 December 2002.
The design and administration of a scheme to implement the recommendations of the taxi hardship panel and the arrangements to facilitate the making of payments to eligible persons will be progressed as quickly as possible so as to ensure that applications are dealt with on a confidential and objective basis. In that context, I have already asked Mr. Jimmy Farrelly, who I recently appointed as the interim chairman of the Commission for Taxi Regulation, to progress as a priority the implementation of the findings of the panel report.
Mr. Farrelly is also undertaking a detailed consultation process with the taxi, hackney and limousine industry, local authorities, the Garda Síochána and other interest groups with a view to assessing and addressing issues relating to standards in the industry in advance of the appointment of a statutory Commission for Taxi Regulation. I have already indicated that I am prepared to act on any recommendations for urgent changes to the current regulations on standards proposed following this consultation.
