Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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233. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he is aware of delays in the National Transport Authority extending the life of taxis beyond the ten-year age limit for vehicles and the impact this is having on taxi drivers securing a new licence for 2023; if he will engage with the NTA about having the process expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62280/22]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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As the Deputy may be aware, the regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry, including vehicle age limits for SPSVs, is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016. I have no role in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV industry.

Since August, a series of global circumstances has, in the NTA’s view, considerably worsened the capability of taxi and hackney licence holders to secure new vehicles, with lead times of one year not uncommon already. Therefore, the NTA proposed to temporarily extend the maximum permissible age for taxis and hackneys so that no current vehicle licence holder is forced out of the industry because a replacement vehicle cannot be purchased.

The NTA introduced new Regulations on 18 November last, permitting an extension to the final operation date of vehicles due to reach their final date of operation/maximum permissible age between 13 March 2020 and 31 December 2024. The purpose of these Regulations is to amend Regulation 31 of the Taxi Regulation (Small Public Service Vehicle) Regulations 2015, Maximum Permissible Age Requirements and to revoke the Small Public Service Vehicle (Emergency Measure Covid-19) Regulations 2021 (S.I. 482 of 2021). This amendment is made as an exceptional provision and contingency measure, resultant from current vehicle supply issues. The NTA is contacting SPSV licence holders to confirm the new final operation date of their current licensed vehicle.