Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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Question 310: To ask the Minister for Transport the procedures which are in place to ensure that taxi drivers do not abuse the taxi licensing system; if his attention has been drawn to the number of taxi drivers convicted of abuses of the licensing system since 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17859/06]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The licensing of small public service vehicles, taxis, hackneys and limousines, and the drivers of such vehicles, is currently governed by the Road Traffic (Public Service Vehicles) Regulations 1963 to 2002 made under the Road Traffic Acts, the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Act 2003 and regulations made under that Act in 2005 and 2006 by the Commission for Taxi Regulation.

It is an offence to drive or use a mechanically propelled vehicle in a public place for the carriage of persons of reward unless the person holds a licence to drive a small public service vehicle and there is a small public service vehicle licence in force in respect of the vehicle. The investigation of complaints concerning non-compliance with the public service vehicles regulations, and the enforcement of those regulations, are matters for the Garda Síochána. Information in relation to the number of taxi drivers convicted of abuses of the licensing system is not available in my Department.