Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The taxi hardship payments scheme is based on the recommendations and parameters of the taxi hardship panel report, which was approved by the Government. The report of the panel recommended the establishment of a scheme to provide payments to individual taxi licence holders who fall into one of six categories that the panel assessed as having suffered extreme personal financial hardship arising from taxi liberalisation. The payments ranged from €3,000 to €15,000 depending on the category of hardship involved. The Government approved the implementation of the recommendations. The payments are not compensation but compassionate payments in respect of extreme personal financial hardship.

The taxi hardship payments scheme is being administered by Area Development Management Limited on behalf of the Department of Transport. Most of the applications received by ADM have been dealt with. I expect the applications which remain on ADM's files to be dealt with in the coming weeks. Sufficient funds have been made available to ADM to enable it to meet the cost of all successful applications. I do not propose to reopen the terms of the taxi hardship panel report or the Government's decision on it.