584. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Transport the number of taxi licences transferred in use to another driver in each of the past five years. [58584/26]

The regulation of the small public service vehicle (SPSV) industry, including SPSV licensing and the collection and publication of statistics relating to SPSV licensing, 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. I have no role in the day-to-day operations of the SPSV sector.

Section 14(1) of the Taxi Regulation 2013 Act placed a prohibition on the transferability of vehicle licences, such that all SPSV licences are unique to the person to whom the licence has been issued and cannot be transferred or sold to another person. This follows a recommendation in the 2011 Taxi Regulation Review Report that a licence should determine a person’s suitability to carry out a function, and it should not have monetary value or be traded on the open market.

There is only one exemption to this non-transferability restriction; upon the death of the holder of a vehicle licence, another person who has been “nominated” by the licence holder prior to his or her death, may apply to NTA to continue to operate the licence. If that person is found to be a suitable person to hold a licence, i.e. fulfils all the terms and conditions applying to any licence holder (including tax compliance), the NTA may transfer the vehicle licence to that nominated person.

In 2022, the Advisory Committee on SPSVs indicated that it is not in favour of reverting to a legal situation which allows for the transferability of SPSV licences. The then Minister considered the Committee's Report and accepted the Committee's advice that the transferability of SPSV licences should not be allowed, and that remains the position.

Given the NTA's responsibility in the area of SPSV licensing, I have referred your question to the NTA for direct reply. Please advise my private office if you have not received a reply within 10 working days.