Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that licensing authorities (a) introduce disability equality training and (b) publicise the 2010 Best Practice Guidance for taxi and private hire vehicle drivers.

Taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) services must be accessible to those who rely upon them, and disability awareness training can be effective in equipping drivers with the skills and knowledge to provide all passengers with the assistance they require. The Department is currently considering the responses to the consultation on the draft Accessibility Action Plan which will inform the updated Best Practice Guidance for taxi and PHV licensing authorities. It is the Department’s expectation that the guidance will include a recommendation that authorities should use their existing powers to require prospective drivers to complete disability awareness and equality training.

I announced in a Westminster Hall debate that I would be setting up a working group to consider current issues concerning taxi and PHV licensing, reporting its findings to me in the new year.