Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am pressing the amendment because of the level of cynicism here where wheelchair users are being invoked for 1% of vehicles to keep new entrants from the other 99% of the market. That is wrong and contravenes what the High Court said. It stands economics on its head, it is devious and underhand and I could not possibly withdraw the amendment in those circumstances. The Minister of State invoked the National Transport Authority but the NTA is always opposed to competition, be it in the air, at airports or with buses. That is its track record and I am not surprised in the slightest it told the Minister of State to do this. It is where it is usually wrong in most economic issues.

I regret the authority has chosen this backdoor method of trying to reintroduce quantity licensing in the taxi business. It did not tell the Minister of State when they last met that waiting time reductions arising from the opening of the taxi market were worth ¤780 million in time savings each year. The measure also created 20,000 additional jobs which, based on IDA estimates, were worth ¤250 million as a once-off sum.

Government policy on the taxi market, which has been a major success, is being undermined, allegedly on the basis that the Minister of State and his officials care more for people in wheelchairs than Senators on this side do, which is nonsense. Why is the burden being placed on new entrants? The reason is the Minister of State was told by the incumbents and his officials to take this approach.

It is shameful and sets a bad precedent to deliberately flout decisions of the High Court. If the Minister of State does not like the court's decision, he can appeal it to the Supreme Court but he has chosen not to do so. When representatives of the taxi industry sought a judicial review the decision was upheld, which means the law that one cannot restrict entry to the taxi business under any guise stands. I am standing by that position in pressing the amendment.