Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senator for raising the matter. As the House will be aware, the Commission for Taxi Regulation published a comprehensive review of the small public service vehicle sector on Monday. The review covers a wide range of issues affecting the industry and makes a number of important recommendations for the regulation of the industry in the future. The commission is now following up the report with a consultation with all stakeholders in the industry, including taxi drivers, hackney drivers, cosies and other people who are interested. Therefore, I suggest that hackney drivers who have concerns about the way the industry is developing, particularly those in the rural communities, make their views known to the commission and the advisory council to the Commission for Taxi Regulation. I also want Senator Keaveney to know I will forward her concerns to the commission for its consideration in the course of that consultation. While I can do that, perhaps the Senator might top it up by documenting her own views on it also.

The level of fee for acquiring taxi and hackney licences is determined by the commission and the current rates stand at €6,300 for a taxi licence — it was previously £5,000 — and €500 for a hackney licence. I am informed by the commission that, since liberalisation of the market, the difference between the fees for taxi licences, as opposed to hackney licences, has not been a barrier to entry to the taxi industry. It is not so long since people had to pay approximately £80,000, certainly in Dublin, to buy taxi licences on the grey market. That is now €6,300 which is why there has been a proliferation of applicants in recent years.

I understand the number of taxi licences in the Senator's county of Donegal is currently 205 and the number of hackney licences is 316. I also make the observation that, in the case of suspected illegal operations, those matters should be reported to the Garda Síochána at local level.

Some years ago I used to be a member of Dublin City Council dealing with the taxi situation. I do not know whether the infrastructure is that relevant anymore. The scene has changed. Taxis can pick up passengers anywhere whereas a hackney is supposed to stay at a fixed location — be it an office or home — and wait for a call. However, life has changed and the mobile phone is the infrastructure nowadays. There is nothing to stop a hackney operator delivering business cards and everybody has a supply of them. He does not need to be ten miles away at home. He can be across the street waiting for a phone call. I am sure people would be more likely to know the hackney number in a rural community than would people elsewhere. Major infrastructure is not required. That is a load of cod. All that is needed are a few bits of paper to hand out to people. Everybody has a mobile phone so a hackney operator can be there in five seconds if he is well placed in the village without plying for hire and doing what the taxi driver does.

I understand what the Senator says about taxi drivers coming from Northern Ireland, which is illegal. They cannot ply for hire unless they are properly geared up to do so and have a licence. There are all sorts of peculiar practices around the Border with people going north to shop and people coming south to sign on. Now the Senator is claiming taxis are coming south. I do not know what we can do about what happens at the Border. Generally speaking in the urban context, with which I am more in tune, the hackney man, while he cannot tout around the streets, can and does still operate. I do not know whether it is necessary to tweak the costs because there are 205 people who have paid €6,300.

I will certainly submit it to the commission and I recommend that the Senator also does so because she might be able to give it a perspective it might not have considered. Much of the industry is dominated by the more urban settings. With some flexibility on the part of the hackney man he could be very relevant if he saw a friendly printer and got a few cards printed. He can be in his home or in some location nearby. I cannot be telling him how to break the law either. I am sure he could be quite conveniently located and yet within the law and able to respond to calls as he gets them. I will send the Senator's views to the commission.