Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As the Chairman knows I am not normally parochial but as a typical example, a taxi driver in Portlaoise complained to me that there are 194 licences in Portlaoise. There is no livelihood for half that number. Does the NTA just continue to issue the licences? Is there any ceiling? I am not talking about going back to the old system of a ceiling. Does the NTA have a role in deciding with the local authority where the ranks should be or is that a local authority function? There are plenty of towns where there are no taxis but there may be a hackney service. I know some towns that have taxi services but maybe they are not official. How does the NTA decide whether town A with a population of 4,000 merits a taxi service or two taxis? Who decides this?