Mr. Jim Waldron:

The Senator is right that there are many of the multi-plate owners, as we call them, or multi-licence holders, who are affected by this. They are affected by the ten-year age rule as well. Some of them might have to lay out hundreds of thousands of euro to keep the cars on the road. They are facing the same problems that single-plate licence holders are facing. However, they can pass on much of the cost to the driver who is driving the vehicle. The driver ultimately feels the pain. It will have an effect on the future numbers in the taxi industry. This is why we keep emphasising the age rule. While it affects the single-plate licence holder, it also affects the multi-licence holder and the drivers of those vehicles, because they are being charged more to cover the running costs of the car as well.