Gerald Nash (Labour) | Oireachtas source

It is important in order to illustrate the point. This woman has spoken publicly and has no difficulty being referred to in the House. Her husband was a taxi driver for almost 30 years. When the business was deregulated in 2000, he bought his own plate like thousands of others. He worked hard for 17 or 18 years as the owner of that plate and met all of the industry regulations with which he had to comply. Tragically, Tommy died in Lanzarote while on holidays in January. His sudden passing was an unspeakable tragedy for Marie and Tommy's wider circle of friends in the Drogheda area.

In recent weeks and in an effort to tie up the loose ends that occur when someone passes away, Marie, with the help of Tommy's colleagues in Drogheda, contacted the Taxi Regulator to make arrangements for the transfer of the taxi licence to her. What happened next came as a shock. The regulator stated that the licence that Tommy owned in effect died with him. Marie was told that a little known form called the S15N had not been filled in by him in order to nominate her in the event of his passing. In the absence of that form being signed, the licence simply reverted to the regulator.

Not only has Marie had to deal with the unspeakable grief of suddenly losing her husband in very difficult circumstances, but she now has to deal with the reality of losing his business and a critical source of income for her as well. This has been described by many in the media and Marie herself as something akin to stealing from her husband. I would have to agree with that analogy.

There is another case of a woman who has spoken publicly on "Liveline" in recent weeks, that of Carol Lee, who lost her husband Mick, a taxi driver of long standing. Her circumstances directly mirror the experience of Marie Keegan in Drogheda. She has lost her husband's taxi licence. She made contact with the Taxi Regulator only to be told that, because this form had not been filled in, the licence essentially died with him. It seems to me that the taxi sector is not broadly familiar with this system. There does not seem to be any appeal or discretion and there is no human understanding whatsoever of the situation in which people like Marie Keegan find themselves. Surely, a taxi licence is an asset and, like any other asset, it can be transferred through a person's estate to next of kin in the normal way. I believe this has been dealt with in a cold, callous and inhumane fashion. I call on the Minister to respond on the associated policy matters and to commit to working with the National Transport Authority, NTA, which is the regulator of taxis, to try to divine a way in which this matter can be resolved in the interests of the next of kin of deceased taxi drivers who have not filled in this nomination form. They find not only that they have to deal with the grief of losing a family member but they have the difficulty of losing their business too.