Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 436: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the amount of financial surplus the Office of the Taxi Regulator had at the end of the last fiscal year in view of media reports of a surplus of €20 million in October 2010; the use to which this surplus was put when the Office of the Taxi Regulator was dissolved on 1 January 2010 and was subsumed into the National Transport Authority; his plans to use this surplus to improve taxi ranks or the services provided to those working in the taxi industry; if he will allow the taxi regulation directorate to subsidise drivers upgrading their vehicles to make them wheelchair accessible with the fee surplus as was requested by the regulator in 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12504/11]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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With effect from 1st January 2011, the former Commission for Taxi Regulation (CTR) was subsumed into the National Transport Authority (NTA).

I understand that the accumulated surplus of the CTR at the end of 2010 was approximately €20m. The use of income from fees set in respect of the licensing of small public service vehicles is a matter, in the first instance, for the NTA in accordance with section 50 of the Taxi Regulation Act 2003.

The NTA announced on 13 May 2011 that it was introducing a wheelchair accessible vehicle grant scheme from September this year to include grants for conversion of qualifying existing vehicles and grants for new applicants for wheelchair accessible vehicle licences. Details of the grant scheme are available on the NTA website (www.nationaltransport.ie ) - the scheme will be funded mainly from exchequer funds allocated to the NTA. If funds are available in 2012 , the NTA has stated its intention to continue the scheme and will advise on this in late December 2011.

Kevin Humphreys (Dublin South East, Labour)
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Question 437: To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he intends to ask the taxi regulation directorate of the National Transport Authority to introduce a moratorium on the issuing of new taxi licences in view of the oversupply of licences in the market preventing full time taxi drivers from making a sustainable living; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12505/11]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The Taxi Regulation Act, 2003, does not provide for the introduction of a moratorium on the issue of new taxi licences. Among other things, the National Transport Authority (NTA) has the statutory objective of promoting the provision and maintenance of quality services by small public service vehicles and their drivers.

Last week, I confirmed that a full scale review of the taxi industry would be undertaken, in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government. The Terms of Reference of the the review is to be decided shortly and will be based on broad stakeholder consultation to include the taxi sector and the interest of consumers.