Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 343: To ask the Minister for Transport if his Department will conduct a survey on the effects which the national fare structure and other regulations being proposed will have on the taxi industry here. [16669/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The Commission for Taxi Regulation is the independent body responsible for the development and maintenance of a new regulatory framework for the control and operation of small public service vehicles, including taxis, and their drivers under the Taxi Regulation Act 2003. Responsibility for the fixing of maximum taxi fares in respect of any taximeter area rests with the Commission under section 42 of the 2003 Act.

In 2005, the Commission initiated a national review to assess the extent and quality of services currently provided by small public service vehicles and subsequently published Roadmap — Towards a new national code of regulation for taxis, hackneys and limousines in Ireland which set out the areas where change is required along with the Commission's proposed solutions. Submissions were invited on the Roadmap by 26 September 2005 following which the preparation of new regulations commenced. The Commission also invited submissions on Consultation Paper No. 3 — Taximeter Areas and Taxi Fares by 19 December 2005.

I understand that the Commission received over 500 submissions as part of the various consultation processes. In addition, numerous meetings took place with a broad range of stakeholders and interested parties, including the Advisory Council to the Commission for Taxi Regulation.

Acting on its remit, the Commission for Taxi Regulation has published a detailed Action Plan 2006 — 2007, Driving Forward, which sets out a range of changes that the Commission proposes to make in relation to the control and regulation of taxis, hackneys, limousines and their drivers, including the introduction of a new national taxi fare structure. The question of a survey of the effects on the taxi industry of the new taxi fare or other regulatory proposals being introduced by the Commission will be a matter for determination by the Commission for Taxi Regulation in due course.