Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 6 Nov 2003

Vol. 573 No. 5

Written Answers. - Taxi Regulations.

Pádraic McCormack

Ceist:

152 Mr. McCormack asked the Minister for Transport the position regarding the taxi hardship panel which was established to examine the issue of compensation to plate owners after deregulation; if the examination has been completed; the number of taxi owners who will be compensated; the average amount of compensation to be paid to taxi drivers; and the likely time in which this will be paid. [25942/03]

The taxi hardship panel was an independent three person panel established to report in general terms on the nature and extent of extreme personal financial hardship that may have been experienced by individual taxi licence holders arising from loss of income as a direct result of the liberalisation of the taxi market. The panel has completed its investigation and has published its findings. The report of the taxi hardship panel recommends the establishment of a scheme to provide payments to individual taxi licence holders who fall into one of six categories that the panel assessed as having suffered extreme personal financial hardship arising from taxi liberalisation.

As I have explained previously in the House, 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 liberalisation. Any payments to be made on foot of these recommendations will not represent compensation but rather compassionate payments in respect of extreme personal financial hardship.
Area Development Management Limited (ADM) has been engaged to administer and manage a scheme to implement the recommendations of the taxi hardship panel report. ADM will issue application forms this week to persons who made submissions to the taxi hardship panel. An advertisement will also be published in the national newspapers, advising of the availability of the application form. ADM will commence assessing applications as soon as application forms are returned. I expect the assessment process will get under way this month and that the first payments under the process will be made before the end of the year. Payments will be made on the basis of the parameters set out in the taxi hardship panel report. It is not possible at this stage to estimate the number of people who will qualify for payment.
Barr
Roinn