Written question asked by Lord Harper (Conservative) on Monday, 10 September 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 17 September 2007. It was answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster (Labour) on Monday, 17 September 2007 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Taxis: Licensing

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the effect on costs to local authorities of the abolition by the Road Safety Act 2006 of the exemption from the private hire taxi licensing regime for vehicles hired on a long-term basis.

Answer: The inclusion in the Road Safety Act 2006 of the repeal of the exemption from private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing requirements of contracts lasting for a period of not less than seven days was motivated by the paramount need to ensure the safety of those being carried under contracts for the hire of a PHV.PHV licence fees are set by local licensing authorities and vary widely from area to area. Making reasonable assumptions about the total numbers of currently unlicensed drivers, vehicles and operators likely to be involved, and about average licence fees, we estimate that the total cost across all those sectors using PHV contracts will be about £1 million. We have not made a separate estimate of costs likely to be borne by local authorities.It should be noted that many contracts will already be carried out by drivers, vehicles and operators that are already licensed or to whom the contact exemption did not apply. Furthermore, the proportion of licensing costs which will be passed on to those awarding contracts will depend on contracts terms in each case.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 155428; 463 c2195-6W
Session: 2006-07
Related items: Taxis: Licensing
Monday, 8 October 2007
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects: Licensing Taxis
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk