Seanad debates

Tuesday, 12 February 2013

Taxi Regulation Bill 2012: Committee Stage

 

6:10 pm

Photo of Sean BarrettSean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

We could go through this county by county. First in an open market, if nobody in county X wants to get a taxi, it will not be supplied there. However, before we deregulated, the non-Dublin share of the taxi fleet was 35%. It then reduced to 32% but, by 2008, it had increased to 41%. The increase in taxi numbers outside Dublin, therefore, has been greater than elsewhere. I do not know what market failure is being addressed here. The market is open to enter unlike in other transport markets such as that for bus services which the Department restricts. We even have had verbal undertakings from the Minister of State that he would not impose quantitative restrictions on entry but now he is seeking the restoration of area licensing. I am not at all persuaded by the arguments.

That was abolished. Following its establishment in 2003, one of the first decisions of the Commission for Taxi Regulation was to introduce a system of national licensing which operated throughout the jurisdiction. I do not see the case that is being made here. I will oppose the Minister of State on that section.

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