Pádraic McCormack (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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Question 301: To ask the Minister for Transport the position regarding the regulation of taxi operators having to have wheelchair accessible taxis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42640/08]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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The Commission for Taxi Regulation is the independent public body responsible for the regulatory framework of the taxi industry. There is no requirement for taxi operators to have a wheelchair accessible vehicle to acquire a taxi licence. However, my Department has been in discussion with the Commission for Taxi Regulation about a proposal for a subsidy scheme to assist with the purchase of accessible vehicles over a five-year period that will meet the new accessible vehicle specification that has been developed by the Commission. A number of options for the delivery of additional accessible vehicles are being explored by my Department in the wider context of improving accessibility to public transport for people with disabilities.

In this context, the Department's Public Transport Accessibility Committee recently discussed the provision of wheelchair accessible taxis when considering a review of Transport Access for All — the Department's sectoral plan under the Disability Act 2005. The Committee questioned whether, in the present economic environment and on practical grounds, it was necessary to provide for the entire fleet of taxis in urban areas to be wheelchair accessible. In that light my Department will engage further with the Commission for Taxi Regulation to identify whether a more cost effective approach to the provision of adequate numbers of wheelchair accessible taxis can be developed.