Robert Dowds (Dublin Mid West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies Joan Collins and Catherine Murphy for allowing me to speak at this point.

In case I forget to say it, I listened to Deputy Boyd Barrett’s speech. One point he made must be pursued, namely, the question of whether the new taxi signs can be forged and what can be done to prevent it. The Minister of State, Deputy Kelly, is committed to having an effective taxi service, and if an issue arises in that regard, it is important it is pursued.

I commend the work of the Minister of State in introducing this important legislation. I am very much aware of the significant work he has put into the Bill because I spoke to him prior to the production of the legislation. He made a considerable effort to be inclusive of the views of the various interested parties who want to have a decent taxi industry. I thank the Minister of State for that.

The taxi industry is a classic example of what happens when there is no regulation. One ends up with an unholy free-for-all which serves no one well, neither the customer nor those who operate as taxi drivers. It is a typical example of what happened when the Fianna Fáil dog was being wagged by the Progressive Democrats tail. It controlled so much even though it had so little electoral support.

Inevitably, not all taxi drivers will be happy, but the Minister of State has gone to great lengths to consult their representatives and to come up with decent legislation.

When the process of deregulation began in the late 1980s, clearly there were far too many entry restrictions and taxis were very hard to come by. However, we went from one extreme to the other, with Dublin city often seeing traffic jams composed entirely of taxis, particularly on weekend nights. Will the Minister of State confirm if there are still as many as 12,000 taxis on the road in Dublin? It is virtually impossible for full-time taxi drivers to make a living because there are so many part-time drivers taking advantage of peak time business, particularly at weekends.

As others have mentioned, there is a serious element of criminality in the industry that needs to be rooted out, and I am very pleased the Minister of State is committed to doing so. Obviously, a great deal more work needs to be done in this area. I got a taxi recently from Dublin Airport and the driver told me that on a day when the Department of Social Protection was doing spot checks at the airport, roughly 30% of the drivers did not turn up, which suggests they were claiming social welfare benefits while driving taxis. It is important that the people who are relying on taxi driving to make a living have a level playing field.

An issue mentioned in the documentation accompanying the Bill is the need to put into effect a system whereby taxi drivers are trained in how to deal properly with tourists. That is a really important initiative, and the sooner it comes about, the better. Taxi drivers are very often the first people visitors to this country meet, and for that reason, it is important they give a good impression. Their taxis should be well presented, and they should speak properly to tourists and provide them with useful information where possible. The more taxi drivers can be used as a conduit for introducing tourists to this country, the better. Some taxi drivers are excellent in this regard, but it would be useful if training was provided to the greatest extent possible.

I thank the Minister of State for working so hard to sort out this industry, and I am particularly happy that he, as a party colleague of mine, is behind this legislation.

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