Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 2: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will report on recent meetings with taxi workers and their representatives; his views on a moratorium and major reform of the taxi regulatory system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28929/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Officials of my Department recently met representatives of several different organisations representing taxi interests. They set out the concerns of their members relating to the taxi industry including, in particular, in relation to taxi numbers. The taxi representative bodies were encouraged by the officials to participate fully within the advisory and consultative structures provided for under the Taxi Regulation Act 2003 to ensure that their views, including those in relation to the economic review of the sector, are taken into account by the Commission for Taxi Regulation, which is the agency charged under law with the regulation of the taxi industry.

The Taxi Regulation Act 2003 does not provide for a moratorium on taxi numbers and the recent economic review concluded that a moratorium is not warranted. The Commission for Taxi Regulation has recently completed a major public consultation on the economic review and is currently preparing proposals for the further development of the taxi industry for consideration by its Advisory Council. I understand the commission expects to finalise its development proposals in August.

I will consider the outcome of this work, the views of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and the views of the representatives of the taxi industry, consumers and consumer interest groups insofar as they relate to my statutory responsibilities.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Is it not time the Minister told us where he stands on a moratorium on the issuing of taxi licences because he is the Minister who has presided over a collapse in standards and a free for all in the taxi industry? Many Deputies, particularly those on the transport committee, have been inundated with complaints about cloned vehicle licences, illegal licences of different kinds, drivers without the proper knowledge of the region in question, the poor state of vehicles, safety issues and, most recently, investigations by the media such as the Evening Herald and The Sunday Times into the ease with which one can legally buy a roof taxi sign or a full taxi package. Roof signs are only €180 approximately. There is a litany of abuses in the industry and at the same time the recent Goodbody report highlighted that the income of taxi workers has collapsed, down to approximately €11 an hour, which is just above the minimum wage, although drivers who are members of Taxi Drivers for Change and the taxi unions tell us that incomes have collapsed by anything from 25% to 40%.

It is very difficult for taxi workers to put bread on the table for their families. The Minister is presiding over that with an ineffective and failing taxi regulator who has now granted licences to almost 28,000 drivers and approved more than 27,000 vehicles in the case of this city. More licences are being issued for this city than for the city of New York with ten times the population. The Minister is presiding over that failure of regulation. On the regulator, for those 50,000 drivers there are only nine enforcement officers - nine inspectors for 50,000 workers. Is it not time the Minister stopped shilly-shallying and came forward with a moratorium?

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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It would be helpful if the Deputy knew the structure for the control and regulation of the taxi industry. It would make answering some of his questions a little easier. In addition to that, matters legal and for enforcement are a matter for the Garda as well as the taxi regulators.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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This is utter nonsense.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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I will call the Deputy again but allow the Minister to answer the question.

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy should be well aware, both the Garda and the transport officers are involved, and we have approximately 14,000 gardaí in the country.

On the economic review, the Deputy has selectively quoted from that. He fails to note that the economic review also states that taxi journeys have increased by 25% in recent years.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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As has the population.

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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It is an increase. Demand has grown by 25%. The number of cabs has increased from almost 3,000 in 2000 to almost 27,500 in 2008.

The current status of the industry, according to the Goodbody report, from the point of view of vehicle standards, knowledge and so on, is that "current overall level of cab services provided in Ireland as well as vehicle quality, vehicle cleanliness and helpfulness of drivers is good". The Deputy is being very unfair to the taxi regulator but there is only one taxi regulator and 27,000 taxi drivers. They have included a new uniform and new fare structure, new national vehicle standards, better customer information and redress complaint mechanisms, including a national information line. They have provided for a new skills development programme, for this year for new drivers and for 2012 for existing drivers. There has been a streamlining of the administration of vehicle licensing, a strengthening of enforcement and the establishment of a national register of licensed vehicles.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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The Minister does not have the required knowledge of how the system works. Is it an offence to sell a licence on a particular number or not? Gardaí tell us it is not.

The Joint Committee on Transport has discussed this issue for the past nine months. We have listened to all interests and have consulted with consumers and passengers. We have taken advice from a senior counsel who says it would be possible to introduce legislation to suspend the allocation of licences for a period, using a legal device known as a sunset clause, to allow time to bring in a proper system of regulation.

The Minister and his Cabinet colleagues presided over lousy regulation of the financial system and planning. The country is suffering from a poor regulation regime. This is affecting the taxi business and the Minister is responsible.

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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I am aware of the work of the CTR. I am also aware of the work done by the Joint Committee on Transport. A process of consultation is under way and the fair and reasonable approach is to wait until all of that work is compiled, look at it and then decide if further action is required in the areas for which I have direct responsibility. I will do that.