Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 427: To ask the Minister for Transport the date on which he received the report of the taxi hardship panel; and the reason for the delay in issuing payments in respect of the recommendations of this panel which have been accepted by Government. [4570/04]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The report of the taxi hardship panel was received by my office in late September 2002. On 17 December 2002, the Government approved the publication of the report and the implementation on a phased basis of the recommendations of the taxi hardship panel by the national taxi regulator.

To progress the taxi hardship panel recommendations in advance of the formal establishment of a proposed commission for taxi regulation, it was subsequently decided not to give the hardship payments function to the commission for taxi regulation. Instead, Area Development Management Limited, ADM, was engaged to administer and manage the taxi hardship payments scheme to implement the recommendations of the taxi hardship panel report. An application form was prepared in consultation with ADM, the Department of Social and Family Affairs, and the Revenue Commissioners, and was also modified following consultations between my Department and taxi representative groups.

The taxi hardship payments scheme was formally launched in November 2003 with application forms being issued to all persons who made submissions to the taxi hardship panel. In addition, newspaper advertisements were placed in the national newspapers on 6 November 2003 inviting applications under the scheme from individual taxi licence holders at 21 November 2000. ADM is proceeding with the processing and assessment of applications under the scheme as the application forms and associated required documentation are returned to them. Payments to qualifying persons under the scheme commenced in December 2003. The time taken to process applications and to make payments depends on the completeness of the information and supporting documentation in each individual application.