Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

The suggested amendment would, if accepted, empower the Commission for Taxi Regulation to set a quantitative limit on the number of taxi licences to be issued in a particular year. While the amendment is an enabling provision, it clearly envisages quantitative control of taxi numbers. Such an approach would be contrary to the policy principles underpinning the Taxi Regulation Act 2003, which followed the court judgment in 2000 finding that the limitation in licences in the interests of licence holders could not be sustained. The current system is based on open market entry subject to high quality standards. The amendment could also have the result of a return to the days when taxi licences were traded for high prices. The number of taxis increased from approximately 3,000 in 2000 to approximately 27,500 in 2008. The demand for a taxi service has also grown; the recent economic review of the sector reported that demand had grown by 25% since 2005. The number of new licences is running at the lowest monthly level since liberalisation, with 78 being issued in August.

It is considered that the optimal approach to regulation is quality based. The CTR is finalising measures for the further development of the taxi industry and the standards to which it operates. It is expected that the commission, taking account of all the submissions it has received in response to its public consultation and in consultation with its advisory council, will implement measures to further improve taxi services and strengthen the regulation of the industry. Therefore, I do not propose to accept the amendment.