Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Cathaoirleach and Members for taking this debate today at fairly short notice. I appreciate this. The Bill has already been considered by the Dáil and, arising from that debate, there have been a number of amendments to the original Bill. As a result, the Bill is now much better than it was.

What was useful about the debate in the other House was how unanimous the views were in terms of welcoming the Bill, particularly the concept behind it. The debate has afforded Deputies and Senators an opportunity to acknowledge the contribution made to society by drivers of taxis, hackneys and limousines. While we like on occasion to have a go at the taxi industry, taxi drivers and so on, they are an important and central part of the transport infrastructure of the country and play an important part in transport policy.

I consider that taxis, hackneys and limousines play a pivotal role in the delivery of transport services. They are uniquely placed to meet the transport needs of many of our citizens, particularly those with mobility disabilities. This is an important area in which we must make progress. One area of transport demand that taxis and hackneys address is the provision of late night services which provide safe and convenient options for those who wish to drink and not drive. This contribution to road safety merits my acknowledgment here today.

To support and improve the delivery of services given by taxis, hackneys and limousines, it is understandable and necessary that legislation that forms the legal basis for these operations should present a modern and focused code of law. Legislation relating to the licensing and operation of mechanically propelled small public service vehicles can be traced back 70 years to the Road Traffic Act 1933. The most recent legislative code, the Road Traffic Act 1961, is some 42 years old. That code forms part of general traffic legislation and has been the genesis of a complex set of regulatory provisions that create and apply the specific legal parameters within which small public service vehicles operate. These operations have as their immediate focus the provision of a personally based transport service, which in overall terms engages the employment of at least 15,000 people. It is both timely and necessary that the services provided through taxis, limousines and hackneys should be the subject of a singularly focused legislative code. One of the primary aims of the Bill before the Seanad today is to provide that code.