Mr. Gerard Macken:

All of the licences issued by the NTA related to wheelchair-accessible grants. Those individuals would have needed to have their vehicles on the road before getting a wheelchair-accessible grant. Unfortunately, they are now committed to an industry where there is nothing but they still have to go through with it.

The grant is for three years and they have to take on the obligations associated with it. The National Transport Authority, NTA, should have considered the pandemic and looked at some way of returning from it. It is not only the old age pensioners who have had to return to work who have been affected by Covid-19 but people on back-to-work schemes as well. A significant amount of these are on the second tranche of payments. The back-to-work scheme runs for three years. They have no option to get out of it either. They have to subsidise their income as well.

There should be an immediate moratorium on the issuing of plates. We will have a majorly oversupplied industry if there is no tourism across the country. The NTA needs to look at work for drivers in other areas such as school transport and the rural transport system. There should be two or three stimulus packages including packages for those returning to work and for those who wish to get out of the industry, similar to those provided for small farmers.