Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Chairman, I apologise for my absence as I was at another meeting, but I have strong views on this issue.

We do not have an adequate hackney service in rural areas. The reason is that those who have a hackney licence already would not have a hope of passing the knowledge test, which is now a condition of the licence. I would expect the Chairman to have a good knowledge of County Mayo but I can guarantee if he had to sit the test for a hackney licence in County Mayo, he would not pass it. I have tabled parliamentary questions on this test umpteen times. If one has the misfortune to be from one of the larger counties, one is more likely to fail the test. Rather than examining the reason that people are failing the test - those who fail are not in any way out of touch with the local community - the test is out of touch with the service that people want. I have cited the following example many times but nobody appears to be listening. Shannon Banks is in County Clare but is near Corbally, County Limerick, and a hackney driver would need to know where Patrick Street, Roches Street and the roads out as far as Patrick's Well down to Castletroy are in County Limerick to serve the needs of his customers. However, a person from Shannon Banks must pass a knowledge test on Doolin, Cooraclare, Ballynakelly and Loop Head, areas in County Clare one will never service. The knowledge test is not based on the functional area but on the geographical area. I have seen a knowledge test and the questions that a person from west Limerick would be expected to answer, for example, " On what street in Doon is the post office?". Doon is approximately 50 miles from Abbeyfeale. Anybody who sits into a hackney car in Abbeyfeale and asks to be taken to Doon is a delight for the driver and by the time he gets to Doon he will know where the post office is located.

I think it is absolutely bonkers that a hackney driver on the Mayo side of Ballaghaderreen would be expected to know about places in Blacksod and Bellmullet and expected to be able to deliver the person there. I think nobody can pass those tests. I agree with the concept of a knowledge test, but a person from Abbeyfeale should know about the streets in Knocknagoshel, County Kerry, as well as Finuge and Ballylongford in County Kerry, but these places do not come up in the test at all. This is the area in which he or she will work.

I think the knowledge test is designed to make people fail. Unfairness is built into the design of the test. Nobody will convince me otherwise. It appears that the test is designed to limit the number of licences because nobody knows if those who have a licence will pass the test but very few others will pass that test.