Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have just come from a meeting of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, which is sending a letter to the Minister of State on the Taxi Regulation Bill 2012. All parties at the meeting expressed concerns about this matter. Is it just me or do other Members find it bizarre that the Minister of State indicated that no amendments were put forward even though he personally spoke about amendments? I do not know what world he is living in but he clearly does not have his head around this important issue and I am worried about his competence and ability to deal with it.

It cannot be denied that business is bad for taxi drivers and something needs to change. However, this Bill offers very little to address the problem. Any of us who has used taxis or spoken with taxi drivers will have heard stories about their difficulties. There was a time when one could enjoy a good living from driving a taxi but that has not been the case since the sector was deregulated. I am concerned not only for the safety of those who get into taxis but also for the future of the industry. At its peak there were 27,000 taxis on the road and in 2008 an estimated 100 million trips were taken in taxis. By 2012 that number had decreased significantly to 70 million. It is believed that 25 taxi drivers took their lives between 2008 and 2010. I am aware of a cluster of taxi drivers in my constituency who unfortunately chose that option. Their actions had a major impact on their families, their communities and their colleagues. When asked about triggers, many people point to the shape of the industry and the pressure they are under to earn money and repay mortgages. This Bill does not refer to the difficulties taxi drivers face or the supports they need.

I carried out a survey of taxi drivers at the Square in Tallaght and found many are earning less than the minimum wage and some are earning as little as half the minimum wage. They put in long hours taking people on the short journey from shopping centre to home. Many of them are elderly and do not feel confident driving taxis at night. Their only income comes from the fares they pick up from the Square during daytime hours.

The Government is taking a negative approach to taxi drivers in this Bill. They are treated as criminals or deserving of suspicion. Taxi drivers represent good value for the State and provide a good service with which people are happy. Reform is needed but they do not deserve vilification. Most drivers are honest and hard working people who suffer enough derision in the media without the Government joining in. The Minister of State claimed there are 6,000 criminals in the industry but what crimes did these individuals commit and have they served their time? Is it not wrong to brand people who transgressed in their past lives and may since have turned the corner? There is agreement that dangerous people such as sex offenders should not be allowed to drive taxis, but denying a licence to someone who committed a non-violent crime perhaps ten years ago could be, for that person, the difference between earning a livelihood and losing his or her car and home. The majority of people in this House would not like to see such an outcome. We already have laws dealing with criminal behaviour outside of the industry but gardaí are unable to enforce them because of underfunding. This work is also hampered by the huge expansion in the number of taxis after deregulation. Policing the taxi industry is a serious job that cannot be done without resources.

The vast majority of taxi drivers do not have convictions and they drive their taxis within the law. Some 377 complaints were made about taxi drivers in 2012 out of 20,000 drivers and millions of journeys. Taxi drivers are more likely to be victims than perpetrators. I live several doors away from a taxi driver whose nerves are in bits after being the victim of syringe attacks two nights in a row. Strong vetting procedures are necessary for all applications but this Bill will not root out the problems within the system. People have a right to make a living but commitments could be made to the industry to deal with oversupply by reducing the numbers of those who drive taxis to supplement other wages. The industry requires an independent appeals process and more accountability on taxi policy. Sinn Féin's submission to the review called for a biannual examination of the NTA by the Oireachtas. Bodies could also be more representative of the majority of single licence holding drivers.

I welcome the provision to allow people to list family members on their licences in case of death. Will this be allowed in the event of a family member retiring? Deputy Ellis outlined the story of a young man who could not replace his father's licence on the retirement of the latter. Would this family be helped by the Bill?

The Minister of State spoke about the right to earn a living but how does this sit with his refusal to honour commitments given under the Good Friday Agreement? There is a need for more balance in this Bill. The Minister of State needs to wake up to the debate. Amendments were proposed in the Seanad, which he appears to have forgotten. He is certainly not helping ex-prisoners and ex-combatants. There are grave concerns about the signal this Bill sends out. We already know that certain people are trying to undermine or wreck the spirit of the Good Friday Agreement and we are facing into a long and difficult marching season this year. This Government is now playing its part in undermining the agreement. It is quick to blame others for not stepping up to the plate but the Minister of State also has a responsibility for the ex-prisoners.

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