Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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208. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will clarify the situation regarding taxi licences that have vehicle capacity for wheelchairs; if such licences can be sold; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12541/21]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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209. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the supports available from his Department to the taxi industry. [12542/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 208 and 209 together.

The Deputy may be aware that the Government has introduced a wide-ranging programme of supports with broad eligiblity criteria for individuals and businesses which have been adversely affected by COVID-19. These supports include wage subsidies, rates waivers, restart grants, lending facilities, equity injection, business advisory supports, and the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.

My Department is providing funding to the National Transport Authority to enable it to waive annual vehicle licence renewal fees for 2021. Furthermore, it has increased the funding available to the Electric SPSV (eSPSV) grant scheme from €1 million in 2020 to €15 million in 2021. In recognition of the particular difficulties faced by operators of older vehicles reaching the end of their useful life, the amount payable under the scheme has doubled to €20,000 for those operators who scrap older, high mileage vehicles for new full electric models.

The sale of small public service vehicle licences, as suggested by the Deputy, is prohibited under section 14(1) of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013. There are no plans to adjust this provision at this time, the rationale being that a licence should indicate a person’s suitability to carry out a function and should not have, by association, a monetary value or be tradeable on the open market or redeemable for a value.