The Government response to Baroness Casey’s report committed to legislate to tackle the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill seeks a power for the Secretary of State to set national minimum standards for taxi and PHV licensing. The power was approved by the House of Commons, and the Bill is now being considered by the House of Lords.

If passed, national minimum standards would enable government to set robust standards for licensing right across England, to keep vulnerable children and, indeed, all members of the public safe, wherever they live or travel. This is an important first step and the Department continues to consider further options for reform. The Government is consulting on making all local transport authorities responsible for taxi and PHV licensing. Administering licensing across larger areas would further increase consistency in licensing and enable better resourced authorities to make better use of their enforcement powers.

The Department for Transport will legislate to address the important issues raised in the report, tackling the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. We will work as quickly as possible and consider all options – including out of area working, national standards and enforcement – seeking the best overall outcomes for passenger safety.

In the interim we will act urgently to make improvements, including consulting on making local transport authorities, including combined authorities, responsible for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing, and determining how existing statutory guidance can be strengthened to further protect the public. We are also reviewing authorities’ compliance with existing guidance and will hold those who do not follow it to account.

Some important protections have already been put in place since earlier inquiries into Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation. All licensing authorities in England now undertake extensive driver background checks, and since 2023 they are required to use a single database to prevent a driver refused a licence in one area on safety grounds going elsewhere. Careful consideration of the options is needed as we do not want any change to decrease the availability of highly vetted licensed drivers and vehicles and inadvertently increase the use of those offering illegal services that evade these licensing checks.

The Department for Transport will legislate to address the important issues raised in the report, tackling the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. We will work as quickly as possible and consider all options – including out of area working, national standards and enforcement – seeking the best overall outcomes for passenger safety.

In the interim we will act urgently to make improvements, including consulting on making local transport authorities, including combined authorities, responsible for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing, and determining how existing statutory guidance can be strengthened to further protect the public. We are also reviewing authorities’ compliance with existing guidance and will hold those who do not follow it to account.

Some important protections have already been put in place since earlier inquiries into Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation. All licensing authorities in England now undertake extensive driver background checks, and since 2023 they are required to use a single database to prevent a driver refused a licence in one area on safety grounds going elsewhere. Careful consideration of the options is needed as we do not want any change to decrease the availability of highly vetted licensed drivers and vehicles and inadvertently increase the use of those offering illegal services that evade these licensing checks.

The Department for Transport’s statutory guidance, published in 2020, to licensing authorities on how they should use their powers to protect children and vulnerable adults recommends that they should require taxi and private hire vehicle drivers to undertake safeguarding training. Licensing authorities must have regard to the statutory guidance, and we expect the recommendations to be implemented unless there is a compelling local reason not to. As of 1 April 2024, 96% of licensing authorities in England required the taxi and private hire vehicle drivers they license to undergo awareness training on child sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation. We are currently reviewing licensing authorities’ compliance with existing DfT guidance and will hold those who do not follow it to account.

In response to the recommendation made in Baroness Casey’s National Audit on Group-Based Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Report in respect of taxis and private hire vehicles, my department has committed to legislate to address the important issues raised in the report, tackling the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. We are working quickly to consider all options, including national standards, seeking the best overall outcomes for passenger safety. It is highly likely that any national standards would be subject to consultation, with the existing statutory guidance recommendations, including safeguarding training for drivers, providing the starting point for any future national standards.

The Department for Transport will consult shortly on whether to make all Local Transport Authorities responsible for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing.

We believe administering the regime at this higher level would increase the consistency of standards and enable more effective use of enforcement powers. Greater economies of scale could also enable authorities to improve the efficiency of taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. Addressing these issues should reduce the factors that induce people to license out of their usual working area.

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.

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.

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.

We are aware of concerns about the current legislative and regulatory framework and would be delighted to meet her to discuss that further.

The Government keeps all policies under review. We will be considering what actions can be taken to improve the existing taxi and private hire vehicle licensing system.

In 2017, a Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing was established to consider how private hire vehicle and taxi licensing authorities use their powers, and produce focussed recommendations for action. The Group was also tasked with considering whether it would advise the Government to accept the recommendations made in the Law Commission’s May 2014 report. The report by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group was published in 2018.

In 2019 the Government responded to the Task and Finish Group report setting out which of the recommendations made by the Chair the Department proposed to take forward. Many of the short-term recommendations were for licensing authorities to make full use of their extensive existing powers. To support licensing authorities, in July 2020 the Government issued the Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards which sets out a robust range of safeguarding requirements and processes that all licensees in England should be subject to. A consultation on updated Best Practice Guidance for licensing authorities, which will contain recommendations on a wide range of issues, will be launched shortly.

The Government remains committed to bringing forward legislation, when Parliamentary time allows, to introduce national minimum standards, national enforcement powers and a national licensing database, as set out in the Government’s response to the report by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group.

In 2017, a Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing was established to consider how private hire vehicle and taxi licensing authorities use their powers, and produce focussed recommendations for action. The Group was also tasked with considering whether it would advise the Government to accept the recommendations made in the Law Commission’s May 2014 report. The report by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group was published in 2018.

In 2019 the Government responded to the Task and Finish Group report setting out which of the recommendations made by the Chair the Department proposed to take forward. Many of the short-term recommendations were for licensing authorities to make full use of their extensive existing powers. To support licensing authorities, in July 2020 the Government issued the Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards which sets out a robust range of safeguarding requirements and processes that all licensees in England should be subject to. A consultation on updated Best Practice Guidance for licensing authorities, which will contain recommendations on a wide range of issues, will be launched shortly.

The Government remains committed to bringing forward legislation, when Parliamentary time allows, to introduce national minimum standards, national enforcement powers and a national licensing database, as set out in the Government’s response to the report by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group.

The Task and Finish Group on taxi and Private Hire Vehicles licensing set up in 2017 considered the impact of new technology on the sector including in respect of out-of-area working. As set out in the Report by the Chair of the Group, the recommendation to address out-of-area working was one of the areas on which it was not possible to reach a consensus. The Government, in its 2019 response, agreed to consider the recommendation further.

The Department for Transport has considered in detail options to restrict out-of-area working by taxis and private hire vehicles in England. Engagement with the sector and regulators evidenced that there are a wide range of differing views and a lack of agreement on how the negative aspects caused by out-of-area working might be best addressed; many approaches having detrimental impacts for drivers, businesses, and ultimately passengers, along with congestion and air quality. The safety of passengers, including women and girls, was one of the issues considered, and there were particular concerns that restrictions on the availability of taxis and private hire vehicles may impact adversely on passenger safety by increasing the use of unlicensed, unvetted and uninsured drivers and vehicles. Following this engagement with the sector, the Government concluded that it would not, at this time, take forward out-of-area restrictions.

Everyone has the right to feel safe when travelling and using public spaces. The Department for Transport is working closely with Home Office on the Government’s cross-departmental strategy to address Violence Against Women and Girls. The Department’s first Women’s Safety Champions are engaging with campaign groups, industry and Government to understand areas for improvement across the UK’s transport network. They will shortly produce independent recommendations for the Department and wider transport network on what best practice should be adopted to improve safety of the transport network for women and girls.

The Task and Finish Group on taxi and Private Hire Vehicles licensing set up in 2017 considered the impact of new technology on the sector including in respect of out-of-area working. As set out in the Report by the Chair of the Group, the recommendation to address out-of-area working was one of the areas on which it was not possible to reach a consensus. The Government, in its 2019 response, agreed to consider the recommendation further.

The Department for Transport has considered in detail options to restrict out-of-area working by taxis and private hire vehicles in England. Engagement with the sector and regulators evidenced that there are a wide range of differing views and a lack of agreement on how the negative aspects caused by out-of-area working might be best addressed; many approaches having detrimental impacts for drivers, businesses, and ultimately passengers, along with congestion and air quality. The safety of passengers, including women and girls, was one of the issues considered, and there were particular concerns that restrictions on the availability of taxis and private hire vehicles may impact adversely on passenger safety by increasing the use of unlicensed, unvetted and uninsured drivers and vehicles. Following this engagement with the sector, the Government concluded that it would not, at this time, take forward out-of-area restrictions.

Everyone has the right to feel safe when travelling and using public spaces. The Department for Transport is working closely with Home Office on the Government’s cross-departmental strategy to address Violence Against Women and Girls. The Department’s first Women’s Safety Champions are engaging with campaign groups, industry and Government to understand areas for improvement across the UK’s transport network. They will shortly produce independent recommendations for the Department and wider transport network on what best practice should be adopted to improve safety of the transport network for women and girls.

The Task and Finish Group on taxi and Private Hire Vehicles licensing set up in 2017 considered the impact of new technology on the sector including in respect of out-of-area working. As set out in the Report by the Chair of the Group, the recommendation to address out-of-area working was one of the areas on which it was not possible to reach a consensus. The Government, in its 2019 response, agreed to consider the recommendation further.

The Department for Transport has considered in detail options to restrict out-of-area working by taxis and private hire vehicles in England. Engagement with the sector and regulators evidenced that there are a wide range of differing views and a lack of agreement on how the negative aspects caused by out-of-area working might be best addressed; many approaches having detrimental impacts for drivers, businesses, and ultimately passengers, along with congestion and air quality. The safety of passengers, including women and girls, was one of the issues considered, and there were particular concerns that restrictions on the availability of taxis and private hire vehicles may impact adversely on passenger safety by increasing the use of unlicensed, unvetted and uninsured drivers and vehicles. Following this engagement with the sector, the Government concluded that it would not, at this time, take forward out-of-area restrictions.

Everyone has the right to feel safe when travelling and using public spaces. The Department for Transport is working closely with Home Office on the Government’s cross-departmental strategy to address Violence Against Women and Girls. The Department’s first Women’s Safety Champions are engaging with campaign groups, industry and Government to understand areas for improvement across the UK’s transport network. They will shortly produce independent recommendations for the Department and wider transport network on what best practice should be adopted to improve safety of the transport network for women and girls.

The Task and Finish Group on taxi and Private Hire Vehicles licensing set up in 2017 considered the impact of new technology on the sector including in respect of out-of-area working. As set out in the Report by the Chair of the Group, the recommendation to address out-of-area working was one of the areas on which it was not possible to reach a consensus. The Government, in its 2019 response, agreed to consider the recommendation further.

The Department for Transport has considered in detail options to restrict out-of-area working by taxis and private hire vehicles in England. Engagement with the sector and regulators evidenced that there are a wide range of differing views and a lack of agreement on how the negative aspects caused by out-of-area working might be best addressed; many approaches having detrimental impacts for drivers, businesses, and ultimately passengers, along with congestion and air quality. The safety of passengers, including women and girls, was one of the issues considered, and there were particular concerns that restrictions on the availability of taxis and private hire vehicles may impact adversely on passenger safety by increasing the use of unlicensed, unvetted and uninsured drivers and vehicles. Following this engagement with the sector, the Government concluded that it would not, at this time, take forward out-of-area restrictions.

Everyone has the right to feel safe when travelling and using public spaces. The Department for Transport is working closely with Home Office on the Government’s cross-departmental strategy to address Violence Against Women and Girls. The Department’s first Women’s Safety Champions are engaging with campaign groups, industry and Government to understand areas for improvement across the UK’s transport network. They will shortly produce independent recommendations for the Department and wider transport network on what best practice should be adopted to improve safety of the transport network for women and girls.

The Task and Finish Group on taxi and Private Hire Vehicles licensing set up in 2017 considered the impact of new technology on the sector including in respect of out-of-area working. As set out in the Report by the Chair of the Group, the recommendation to address out-of-area working was one of the areas on which it was not possible to reach a consensus. The Government, in its 2019 response, agreed to consider the recommendation further.

The Department for Transport has considered in detail options to restrict out-of-area working by taxis and private hire vehicles in England. Engagement with the sector and regulators evidenced that there are a wide range of differing views and a lack of agreement on how the negative aspects caused by out-of-area working might be best addressed; many approaches having detrimental impacts for drivers, businesses, and ultimately passengers, along with congestion and air quality. The safety of passengers, including women and girls, was one of the issues considered, and there were particular concerns that restrictions on the availability of taxis and private hire vehicles may impact adversely on passenger safety by increasing the use of unlicensed, unvetted and uninsured drivers and vehicles. Following this engagement with the sector, the Government concluded that it would not, at this time, take forward out-of-area restrictions.

Everyone has the right to feel safe when travelling and using public spaces. The Department for Transport is working closely with Home Office on the Government’s cross-departmental strategy to address Violence Against Women and Girls. The Department’s first Women’s Safety Champions are engaging with campaign groups, industry and Government to understand areas for improvement across the UK’s transport network. They will shortly produce independent recommendations for the Department and wider transport network on what best practice should be adopted to improve safety of the transport network for women and girls.

The Department for Transport has engaged with the taxi and private hire vehicle sector through the COVID pandemic. This engagement informed the guidance issued by the Department on actions that drivers, operators and owners of taxis or private hire vehicles can take to protect against coronavirus; this included the wearing of face coverings and ventilation in vehicles.

NHS Test and Trace data does not specify where a specific transmission may have taken place, therefore estimates of the number of cases of COVID-19 transmitted by setting is not available. Local Health Protection Teams and local authorities receive common exposure alerts, providing information on cases that have been linked to specific settings, so that this information can be used to investigate and manage clusters.

Retail and hospitality workers and taxi workers have not been prioritised for vaccination due to their occupations, in line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s (JCVI). For Phase 2 of the vaccination programme, the JCVI published its final advice on 13 April 2021. This advice sets out that the most effective way to minimise hospitalisations and deaths is to continue to prioritise people by age, as this is assessed to be the strongest factor linked to mortality, morbidity, and hospitalisations, as well as speed of delivery, which is crucial as we provide more people with protection from COVID-19 as quickly as possible.