Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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325. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his Department's plans to introduce grants for taxi drivers for the purchase of electric vehicles; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30656/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Electric Small Public Service Vehicle (eSPSV) Grant Scheme is in place to support the greening of the SPSV, or taxi, sector. It is aimed at improving air quality in urban areas, reducing the CO2 emissions of a sector which typically has very high mileage, and also can positively influence the uptake of zero emission passenger cars by improving general perception and awareness of the benefits of electric vehicles.

The SPSV industry is regarded as a champion in the normalisation of electric vehicle use. The Scheme is funded by the Department of Transport and administered by NTA acting as agents of the Department with delegated authority and as the licensing authority for SPSVs. €15m was allocated in 2022 to support SPSVs to switch to electric.

The Scheme is available nationwide to persons applying for new SPSV licenses and existing SPSV license holders who wish to upgrade their current vehicle with a replacement EV. As per the terms and conditions of the scheme, it is important that an EV is not purchased prior to acceptance of a Grant Offer Letter by the Approved Applicant. Approved applicants in receipt of a Grant Offer Letter have an initial three months to draw down their grant. It is possible to apply for a further three month provisional grant offer extension if applicants have a letter from their dealer stating that the vehicle will be delivered within this timeframe.

The scheme is kept under continuous review and is currently paused to allow for the drawdown and payment of provisional grant offers which usually have a time limit of three months. I anticipate the scheme will reopen for applications in the second half of the year.