In view of the decision by the Cabinet today regarding new licensing hours, which must be legislated for, I ask for an urgent debate on taxis. In my home town, we will eventually have no taxi service if things keep going as they are currently. When a person has a taxi, the plate dies with that person if he or she retires or passes away. The plate cannot be handed over to a son, daughter or other family member and it cannot be sold on or given to anybody. We must remember that those taxi people have built up a business and have built up goodwill. They have the proper vehicles, some of which are wheelchair accessible, but they can do nothing with them other than sell them and close the business down.

In our town, we have a day service but we do not have a night service. The proposed new licensing laws will extend opening times into all hours of the morning but we will have no taxi service to bring people home from the hostelries. There are lots of things wrong with taxi plates and the regulation of taxis. If one gets a new licence, one's vehicle has to be wheelchair accessible but it is not necessary for every taxi to be wheelchair accessible. If taxi drivers buy a new electric vehicle, they can get a grant of €20,000. However, the outlay could be €60,000 and they have to scrap their old car which might only be six or seven years old. These days second-hand cars are worth a considerable amount of money but the old vehicle has to be scrapped, which is ridiculous. I ask that a debate be arranged on this issue at the earliest opportunity.

Thank you Senator Burke and without entering the debate, I heard of a case through my own clinics which reflects exactly what you have said. It was a case involving a taxi driver who was not able to pass on the business and it is a very serious matter.

I concur with the comments and second the proposal from Senator Burke regarding taxis. The exact same problem exists in my own area in a number of towns, where a parent is not able to transfer the business to a son who is willing to run the business and where there is a shortage of taxis. The vehicles are wheelchair accessible but they cannot transfer the licence. As Senator Burke said, there is a proposal for longer opening hours in public houses. I have my own opinions on that and do not fully agree with it but regardless of that, we need to have a taxi service.

Senator O'Sullivan mentioned the greenways, which are a fantastic addition to our countryside. There are more and more people out walking and cycling on them but it has been brought to my attention that lots of people, particularly children, do not wear helmets. It is not mandatory to wear a helmet but that may need to change. We will be dealing with legislation with regard to e-scooters and so on and we should consider making it mandatory for children and adults to wear a helmet when on a bike for their own safety. It is worth considering and if children start wearing them when they are young, they will continue to do so later in life.

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the Edgeworthstown enterprise hub in Longford, co:worx, which was nominated for an EU award. Approximately 800 projects from across the EU were shortlisted down to 20 and co:worx is one of the 20 projects on the shortlist. The project started with a voluntary group in Edgeworthstown approaching me and the local authority. We worked with the local authority to purchase the former Ulster Bank building that was for sale in the town. The project received funding from Government, including from the town and village renewal scheme, enterprise funding and LEADER funding, which was used to turn the building into a working hub that is the envy of many around the country.

It shows that with collaboration between the community, the local authority and the Government, we can develop a project like that. I pay tribute to the voluntary committee in the local area that has seen this from the start through to fruition, and has now seen it actually nominated. I hope it is successful. I congratulate the committee and the local authority that supported it along the way.