Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am not jumping on an Opposition bandwagon. Tiománaí Tacsaí na hÉireann would make a strong case about the issue of transferability in particular. It is justifiable that an individual with more than one taxi licence should be able to transfer those licences to a company, which would operate as an entity and shares in which - or the company itself - could be sold, thereby allowing for transferability in perpetuity. Perhaps the Minister of State intends to introduce a regulation in this regard. I support his measure that allows for a licence to be transferred to a surviving spouse, partner or so on following the death of a licenceholder. The Minister of State referred to the case of a company director's death. Will he provide further details in this regard on Committee Stage? A corporate entity with share capital and the provisions of a limited company has the capacity to own licences and can be sold, meaning that the licence could be transferred and would remain in perpetuity. I look forward to the Minister of State's response on this matter.

Tiománaí Tacsaí na hÉireann believes that a buy-back scheme should be put in place to allow for an exit from the industry. While the Minister of State is not of a mind to do so, such a scheme would allow the numbers to be tightened. People who should not be in the industry are spoiling it for the full-timers. The scheme might act as an incentive and help to reduce the oversupply.

The Minister of State spoke about providing the NTA with the capacity to set guidelines and regulations by virtue of the fact that a driver must notify the transport authority of any other driving-related work. Such information must be on a person's file. I am somewhat confused about the extent to which the authority will be able to implement the types of measure I wish to be implemented. It is wholly inappropriate for someone to spend eight hours a day working with construction equipment, doing intricate tasks or working behind a desk, which can be equally demanding on one’s concentration, before spending another eight or ten hours driving a SPSV. Similarly, under the current system, someone who drives a bus all day can drive a public service vehicle. That is not safe, and the issue must be examined. I do not underestimate the difficulties involved in dealing with this. While powers might be given to the transport authority, I question the extent to which it will be able to introduce regulations to manage or monitor what someone is doing in what might be considered private time in another industry. It is difficult to see how that approach could work. However, I look forward to such regulation because the issue is probably one of the more important ones from a road safety point of view. It would also help deal with the oversupply of taxis by virtue of preventing part-timers from coming into the market. I look forward to discussing matters in greater detail on Committee Stage and to seeing the amendments the Minister of State intends to table. We will work co-operatively and constructively with him in trying to bring forward legislation that has the capacity to enhance and improve the taxi service in this country.

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