Asked by: Victoria Collins (Liberal Democrat - Harpenden and Berkhamsted)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department has taken in response to the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices to review working practices for (a) taxis and (b) private hire vehicle.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Taylor Review was published in 2017 and while it continues to be a valuable contribution to the debate on working practices, this Government is focused on delivering our plan to Make Work Pay.
Once implemented, our Plan to Make Work Pay will represent the biggest upgrade of workers’ rights in a generation. It will raise the minimum floor of employment rights, raise living standards across the country and level the playing field for those businesses that are already engaged in good practices.
Asked by: Sarah Coombes (Labour - West Bromwich)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the number and proportion of (a) taxi and (b) private hire vehicles that use number plates that do not conform with regulations.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency is working with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, various police forces and Trading Standards in relation to the supply and use of illegal number plates as well as number plates with raised characters, commonly known as ‘4D plates’. Some 4D plates can also be described as ‘ghost’ plates where the characters are constructed from materials that are unable to be read by infrared Automatic Number Plate Recognition systems. Work is currently ongoing to quantify the number of illegal plates that may be in circulation, which would include on taxis and private hire vehicles.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department has taken to protect small taxi businesses from the potential impact of ride-hailing companies operating in local authority-licensed areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Legislation has always allowed taxis and private hire vehicles to carry pre-booked fares outside the area in which they are licensed. This allows the sector to work more flexibly to meet the needs of their passengers.
All licensing authorities in England have a duty to ensure that any person to whom they grant a PHV driver's licence or a PHV operator’s licence is fit and proper to hold such a licence. Licensing authorities have the flexibility to set the standards they consider appropriate for applicants to demonstrate this. To promote consistency in licensing requirements and policies for both taxis and private hire vehicles the Department for Transport has issued statutory and best practice guidance to assist authorities in setting high safety standards, and to promote proportionate regulation in relation to other requirements.
Licensing authorities in England are required by law to share safeguarding or road safety concerns about taxi and private hire vehicle drivers licensed in other areas with the authority that issued the licence. The authority that issued the licence must then consider whether to suspend or revoke the driver’s licence.
Licensing authorities do not have the power to regulate private hire vehicle fares, as such services must be pre-booked passengers are able to compare prices and other factors prior to booking the service.
The Government recognises concerns around out-of-area working and is considering options to strengthen the regulation of the sector.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions her Department has had with local authorities on the public safety risks associated with ride-hailing firms operating outside their licensed areas.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Legislation has always allowed taxis and private hire vehicles to carry pre-booked fares outside the area in which they are licensed. This allows the sector to work more flexibly to meet the needs of their passengers.
All licensing authorities in England have a duty to ensure that any person to whom they grant a PHV driver's licence or a PHV operator’s licence is fit and proper to hold such a licence. Licensing authorities have the flexibility to set the standards they consider appropriate for applicants to demonstrate this. To promote consistency in licensing requirements and policies for both taxis and private hire vehicles the Department for Transport has issued statutory and best practice guidance to assist authorities in setting high safety standards, and to promote proportionate regulation in relation to other requirements.
Licensing authorities in England are required by law to share safeguarding or road safety concerns about taxi and private hire vehicle drivers licensed in other areas with the authority that issued the licence. The authority that issued the licence must then consider whether to suspend or revoke the driver’s licence.
Licensing authorities do not have the power to regulate private hire vehicle fares, as such services must be pre-booked passengers are able to compare prices and other factors prior to booking the service.
The Government recognises concerns around out-of-area working and is considering options to strengthen the regulation of the sector.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance her Department is providing to local authorities on ensuring ride hailing companies comply with local authority fare regulations for private hire vehicles.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Legislation has always allowed taxis and private hire vehicles to carry pre-booked fares outside the area in which they are licensed. This allows the sector to work more flexibly to meet the needs of their passengers.
All licensing authorities in England have a duty to ensure that any person to whom they grant a PHV driver's licence or a PHV operator’s licence is fit and proper to hold such a licence. Licensing authorities have the flexibility to set the standards they consider appropriate for applicants to demonstrate this. To promote consistency in licensing requirements and policies for both taxis and private hire vehicles the Department for Transport has issued statutory and best practice guidance to assist authorities in setting high safety standards, and to promote proportionate regulation in relation to other requirements.
Licensing authorities in England are required by law to share safeguarding or road safety concerns about taxi and private hire vehicle drivers licensed in other areas with the authority that issued the licence. The authority that issued the licence must then consider whether to suspend or revoke the driver’s licence.
Licensing authorities do not have the power to regulate private hire vehicle fares, as such services must be pre-booked passengers are able to compare prices and other factors prior to booking the service.
The Government recognises concerns around out-of-area working and is considering options to strengthen the regulation of the sector.
Asked by: Phil Brickell (Labour - Bolton West)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to harmonise the licensing requirements for private hire vehicles for every local authority in England.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which licensing authorities in England administer the taxi and private hire vehicle licensing regime. Under this system licensing authorities have the flexibility to set the standards they consider appropriate to demonstrate that a private hire vehicle driver or operator are fit to hold a licence and that vehicles are safe.
The Department for Transport has however issued statutory and best practice guidance to assist licensing authorities. These aim to promote a consistency in licensing requirements and polices for both taxis and private hire vehicles by setting high but proportionate requirements to enable the sector to provide safe and accessible services that meet a wide range of passenger needs.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to require local authorities to use the same licensing regulations for (a) private hire vehicles and (b) taxis.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which licensing authorities in England administer the taxi and private hire vehicle licensing regime. Under this system licensing authorities have the flexibility to set standards they consider appropriate.
The Department for Transport has however issued statutory and best practice guidance to assist licensing authorities with this function, to promote safe and accessible services through proportionate regulation. This should increase consistency in requirements and policies for taxis and private hire vehicles.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the cost to the public purse was of the provision of taxis for irregular migrants in each year since 2018.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Transport services for asylum seekers are provided through our Asylum Accommodation & Support Contracts. We pay a fixed rate for transportation services which is set out in the contracts. Our suppliers must deliver transportation requirements in line with contractual standards and the fixed rate – with the type of transportation determined by our suppliers within this framework. Information on spend by specific transportation types is therefore not readily available.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to introduce (a) enhanced and (b) consistent standards for taxi licensing across all local authorities.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government keeps all policies under review and is aware of stakeholder concerns about the current legislative and regulatory framework for taxis and private hire vehicles. To increase consistency in standards, the Department for Transport issues guidance to all licensing authorities in England. The Government is considering how to improve the current regulatory position even further, whilst still enabling the sector to deliver safe and accessible services that meet a wide range of passenger needs.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to end cross-border hiring practices by licensed taxis.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government keeps all policies under review and is aware of stakeholder concerns about the current legislative and regulatory framework for taxis and private hire vehicles. To increase consistency in standards, the Department for Transport issues guidance to all licensing authorities in England. The Government is considering how to improve the current regulatory position even further, whilst still enabling the sector to deliver safe and accessible services that meet a wide range of passenger needs.