Written question asked by Andrew Gwynne (Labour) on Friday, 7 October 2016, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 11 October 2016. It was answered by Andrew Jones (Conservative) on Friday, 14 October 2016 on behalf of the Department for Transport.

Taxis: Licensing

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to introduce a limit to the number of Hackney carriage and private hire driver licences local authorities can issue.

Answer: Under section 16 of the Transport Act 1985 local licensing authorities outside of London have the power to limit the number of licensed Hackney carriages if they are satisfied that there is no significant demand for the services of Hackney carriages (within the area to which the licence would apply) which is unmet. There are no powers to restrict the number of Hackney carriages in London or private hire vehicles in or outside of London and the Government has no plans to introduce any such legislation at this time.

Secondary information