Mr. Jim Waldron:

It is our understanding that the National Transport Authority is on the verge of launching an advertising campaign to recruit taxi drivers. It is very worrying that the authority is trying to recruit people into an industry that is on its knees. The NTA must assure us that it will not do so.

With regard to supports for drivers, the Deputy mentioned the situation in which drivers have been put. He is right; drivers have been put in a very delicate situation. They have to make a choice between their health and their finances. There is no support for people with mental health issues. The has created stress for people throughout Ireland. It has not just affected taxi drivers but, because I am talking about taxi drivers, what has the Government put in place to support them? It has not contacted any of the representative groups to offer any supports or guidelines with regard to mental health. This is one of the things that has been forgotten about.

Step-down payments must be brought in. There is no way a driver will step off a cliff and have no money. We need a step-down system in place so that drivers can go out to work honestly. Some drivers may think they have to go out and work while getting the Covid payment because they do not know where their futures lie. We want to be honest, upfront and forthright. We are looking for step-down payments so that drivers can gradually work their way back into the industry and gradually pay off the bills that have been accumulating, including the €11,433 the NTA estimates as fixed costs. We believe these costs are vastly underestimated. If we were to sit in a room with NTA representatives, we could show them that our costs are double that.