Brian Walsh (Galway West, Independent)
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202. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will outline forthcoming changes to regulations regarding the transfer of taxi licences; and if there are plans for the introduction of a compensation scheme to facilitate licence holders wishing to leave the industry. [39033/13]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The regulation of the taxi industry, including issues pertaining to the transfer of small public service vehicle (SPSV) licences, is a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA) under the provisions of the Public Transport Regulation Act 2009.  

Since January 2009 SPSV licences, including vehicle licences for taxis, wheelchair accessible taxis, hackneys, wheelchair accessible hackneys and limousines, have been issued on the basis that they are non-transferable. Licences issued prior to that date can be transferred only once. 

In line with the recommendation under Action 14 of the Taxi Regulation Review Report 2011, Section 14 of the Taxi Regulation Bill 2012 provides for a prohibition on the transfer of all SPSV vehicle licences. The underlying principle for the prohibition on transfer is that a licence should determine a person’s suitability to carry out a function and it should not have monetary value or be traded on the open market. 

Only in the exceptional circumstances of the event of the death of a licence holder will a taxi licence be permitted to continue in force, as provided for under Section 15 of the Taxi Regulation Bill 2012.

I intend to make a further amendment to the Taxi Bill to ensure the proportionate application of the legal provisions concerning the prohibition on transfer of a taxi licence to deal the matter of a company holding a taxi licence.

The Taxi Regulation Review Report 2011 sets out the future approach to regulation of the taxi market. At the core of the Report are recommendations concerning stronger qualitative controls for SPSV licensing, improved standards and effective enforcement. The conclusion of the Taxi Review Group is that this approach is supported by the independent analysis of the economic consultants, Indecon, in particular that non-compliance with the taxi regulations is an impacting factor on the low level of exit from the taxi market.  

There  are no plans for the introduction of a compensation scheme to facilitate licence holders wishing to leave the industry.