Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Question 61: To ask the Minister for Transport if he will respond to correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15079/09]

Noel Dempsey (Meath West, Fianna Fail)
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Only taxis licensed by the Commission for Taxi Regulation, which are catergorised as small public service vehicles, are entitled to apply for hire or reward on public roads. The enforcement of this requirement is a matter for the Commission for Taxi Regulation and the Gardaí. The position in relation to large public service vehicles, which are defined in legislation as vehicles, accommodating more than eight passengers, is that any operator using any such vehicle for the carriage of passengers for hire or reward must have a Road Passenger Transport Operator's Licence (RPTOL), issued by the Department of Transport. The requirements to obtain an RPTOL are set out in European and Irish law, and include requirements regarding financial standing, professional competence and good repute. This means, insofar as professional competence is concerned, that at least one person in the firm, known as the Transport Manager, must hold a Certificate of Professional Competence. The RPTOL grants the holder access to the profession of public bus operator. The holder of an RPTOL is then entitled to engage in private hire.

For example where the general public phone a taxi firm to hire a taxi, and if that taxi firm also holds a Road Passenger Transport Operator's Licence (RPTOL) from the Department of Transport, then it is a matter for the taxi firm to decide what type of vehicle to dispatch. However, it should be emphasised that any vehicle so used, depending on its size, must be either a properly licensed taxi or a large public service vehicle bus that is authorised on an RPTOL.

Enforcement of compliance with licensing requirements relating to large public service vehicles is a matter for the Gardaí and the Road Safety Authority.