Pádraig Rice (Cork South-Central, Social Democrats)
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179. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the current position regarding the cross-Border operation of small public service vehicle (SPSV); if there are plans to harmonise the relevant legislation north and south of the Border; the work carried out to date to progress a cross-Border regime for SPSVs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60567/25]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal East, Fianna Fail)
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The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry is a matter for the independent transport regulator, the National Transport Authority (NTA), under the provisions of the Consolidated Taxi Regulation Acts 2013 and 2016. Under Section 6(2) of this Act, An Garda Síochána is responsible for the granting of SPSV driver licences. I have no role in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV sector.

Under the provisions of the Taxi Regulation Act 2013, operators are required to hold an SPSV licence and an SPSV driver licence to carry persons for hire or reward in the State. The 2013 Act and its requirements only apply to services provided in the State - it does not provide for services across a border. The legislative position in Northern Ireland is similar. Thus, under current legislation, a taxi operator wishing to operate cross-border services, would have to apply for and obtain SPSV licences on each side of the border. Unlike other areas of transport - such as bus and road haulage operations - taxi services are not subject to EU harmonisation, so arrangements for regulating taxi services remain a matter for the relevant authorities in Ireland and Northern Ireland in respect of services that operate in each jurisdiction.

With a view to ensuring that cross-border taxi services could be better legally facilitated and appropriately regulated, a previous Minister for Transport agreed with his counterpart in Northern Ireland that primary legislation would be prepared, on a reciprocal basis, in both jurisdictions to allow for exempting licensed taxi operators in respect of certain cross-border services, subject to specified conditions.

I remain committed to developing the necessary legislative changes to the Taxi Regulation Act 2013, subject to Government approval, and provided that legislative arrangements can be progressed on a reciprocal basis either side of the border. My Department, in conjunction with the NTA, is currently working on amending the Taxi Regulation Act 2013 and this amended Bill is included in the government's Autumn 2025 Legislation Programme. Heads of this Bill are currently in preparation.