Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Does the Minister agree that, as the Deputy has said, the conditions of the scheme were ludicrous? People in areas such as west Connemara were refused on the basis that there were already taxis in the area. Taxi drivers who lived in rural areas and who went to the towns or cities to provide a service were considered to be providing a local service. As the Deputy has said, many areas have been left totally without hackney services as a result. The idea was that the hackney that got the licence would be tied to the area and would provide a service in that area. That is not true of a normal taxi licence. People with such a licence can provide a service anywhere they want to.

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