Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State listed an awful lot of supports and there is no doubt some effort is being made but taxi drivers constitute the only cohort which is having difficulty, as far as I can see, in reaccessing the PUP. Many are being refused it. I got a message while I was sitting here ten minutes ago from another taxi driver who has been refused access to the PUP.

Overnight when the restrictions came back in, all late night work disappeared. I was struck by a response that Deputy O'Rourke received from the Taoiseach last week to the effect that just because the late night work is gone, it has not entirely dried up. Anyone who knows or lives near a taxi driver or canvasses where a taxi is in the driveway looks up to see whether the blinds are down because everyone knows how important the night-time economy is for a viable income for a taxi driver. We need to stop treating taxi drivers like second-class citizens in our public transport network. They are vital and the job they have done during Covid has gone underappreciated in government.

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