Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy McAuliffe for raising this matter. The regulation of the small public service vehicle, SPSV, industry, including enforcement and compliance in the sector, is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the NTA, under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013 and Public Transport Act 2016.

Neither the Minister, Deputy Ryan, nor I, have a role in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV sector. The National Transport Authority, NTA, as regulator, sets the standards and requirements for the SPSV sector, which includes rules about vehicle standards, suitability of drivers, and insurance requirements. The NTA also enforces legislation which includes taxis, hackneys and limousines. Regulations made in 2010 first established a maximum permissible age of ten years for new standard taxis and hackneys. The ten-year rule was adopted in recognition of the need to strike a balance between achieving standards that offer the customer confidence, comfort, and safety and allowing industry members to operate successfully.

It is worth noting that the Irish ten-year rule for standard taxis and hackneys is not particularly onerous when compared to other jurisdictions. Wheelchair-accessible taxis and hackneys are permitted to operate up to 15 years of age. No maximum permissible age is prescribed for limousines in recognition of both the vintage nature of many of these vehicles and their generally reduced mileage. The situation to which the Deputy refers, relates to regulation 31(2) of the Taxi Regulation (Small Public Service Vehicle) Regulations 2015 whereby when standard non-wheelchair accessible taxi and hackney licences granted before 1 January 2009 had the same vehicle associated with that licence on 1 January 2013, the vehicle can be licensed up to the 15th anniversary of the date of its first registration. As a result of the emergency regulations introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, and updated more recently in November of last year, 386 of these vehicles remain in the SPSV fleet. Therefore, they remain eligible to continue to be licensed by virtue of the time-bound regulations. During the pandemic, standard age limits for taxis and hackneys were extended on several occasions and are currently extended through to the end of 2024. This change helped to ensure no operator exited the industry based on the age of a vehicle because a replacement vehicle could not be purchased in the prevailing exceptional circumstances. All eligible vehicles were required to successfully complete both a roadworthiness and an SPSV suitability inspection every six months to ensure standards and quality remain at an appropriate level. The 2022 regulations provide for a graduated return to the ten-year age limit, with vehicles with a ten-year limit originally set to expire in 2020 or 2021 now extended to 2025, those vehicles with an original limit in 2022 or 2023 now extended to 2026, and those with an original limit in 2024 now extended to 2027. The NTA introduced these exceptional contingency regulations to provide assurance to licenceholders and to further extend the dates of expiring vehicle licences as in the NTA’s view, the capability of taxi and hackney licenceholders to secure new vehicles was affected by international developments during 2022, with lead times of one year not being uncommon. There are a few factors facing licenceholders seeking to replace end-of-life vehicles, resulting in a very constrained and limited supply of new and used vehicles for purchase. These factors include and unpredicted continuation of the global shortage of semiconductor chips and palladium, which is affected by the war in Ukraine; energy rationing in Europe; and supply to Ireland as Europe’s largest right-hand drive car market for auto manufacturers; the UK being more attractive for new car sales. A pragmatic response is required to control the impacts of matters outside of the State’s control. Therefore, that is why the NTA made these temporary exceptional contingency regulations regarding the maximum permissible vehicle age limits of vehicles due to reach their end-of-life before 2025. In the current period, there is a degree of certainty now for many licenceholders out to the end of the 2024 and beyond.

See this speech in context