Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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989. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport in view of the considerable disquiet among many taxi drivers over the requirement to fit new meters and the recent increases and changes in fares, his views that it is acceptable that the Taxi Advisory Committee has not met to date in 2015 and that efforts by taxi representative organisations to engage with the National Transport Authority and his Department on these matters are being ignored; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11882/15]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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The Taxi Advisory Committee: the TAC was established under the Taxi Regulation Act 2003 and continues in being under Section 72(1) of the Taxi Regulation Act, 2013. Section 72(14) of the 2013 Act provides that “the members of the Advisory Committee shall decide on the frequency of all meetings, subject to the Advisory Committee meeting at least once each year.” I have no function in the matter.

I have met on a number of occasions with representatives of taxi organisations and remain open to dialogue on policy matters. Pursuant to the Taxi Regulation Act, 2013, the National Transport Authority is the body that is responsible for SPSV regulatory matters and it is not appropriate, therefore, for me to engage in detailed discussion of matters, such as the recent changes to fares, that are within the remit of the NTA.