Sean Barrett (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The barrier that the Minister has created costs a new entrant 91% more for the vehicle and 27% more to run it. If his officials do not understand its impact by now then it is a poor look out for new entrants to any sector that the Government seeks to regulate. The provision has acted as a massive barrier because no general category taxi licence has been issued since 2010. One cannot enter the business because the incumbents have control of the Department and the National Transport Authority and have succeeded in keeping new entrants out. That is why licences have a scarcity value again. Therefore, I shall press my amendment because new entrants are vital to any industry. The absence of any undertaking by the Minister of State to respond to our repeated tabling of amendments seeking to allow new entrants is unsatisfactory. The effects were stated in the paper produced by Professor Paul Gorecki of the ESRI. I do not think that any economist in Ireland could support the suggestion to keep new entrants out of any sector in the Irish economy, particularly as the burden of the recession has been borne by young people. The incumbents have been so successful at keeping new entrants out and there is no doubt that is where the policy originated. There is very little economics involved as I shall demonstrate with later amendments.