Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There are two really important factors at play. The first is about lobbying and the relationship between former officials, lobbyists, Ministers, senior Government officials, advisers, and in this case, Uber and the Fine Gael Party, in addition to the privileged access lobbying affords. Revelations clearly indicate that not all of the lobbying was documented or revealed, and recording of such details was deliberately avoided.

The second factor is transport policy. The NTA is actively encouraging people into the taxi industry to address a shortage of taxi drivers but, as recently as 17 June, the Tánaiste - the man who would be Taoiseach in the next number of months - is advocating for the introduction of an Uber- or Lyft-style model to liberalise the market. If you are someone who is considering entering the taxi industry but the Tánaiste is saying that we should consider introducing an Uber-style model, what decision will you make? That model fundamentally undermines the industry. Will the Minister of State put on record the Government's position on the future of the taxi industry as it relates to Uber?

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