The Government is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which local licensing authorities in England license the taxi and private hire vehicle trades. The primary function of licensing authorities is to ensure taxi and private hire vehicle services are safe; as regulators they should also consider the regulatory burden on the sector.

The Government is aware of concerns over driver shortages in the sector and that some requirements set by licensing authorities to obtain a licence are perceived to be acting as a barrier to entry. The Government has already set out the high standards it expects the sector to meet to safeguard passengers. The Government supports the proportionate regulation of the sector and will shortly be consulting on guidance to licensing authorities on how they might best achieve that while maintaining high standards in safety and accessibility. The majority of the sector is self-employed where drivers work with a particular company it is for that company to decide how best to recruit and retain drivers

At a Westminster Hall Debate on 5 July, I announced my intention to set up a working group to consider the regulation of the trade and produce focussed recommendations for action. The Task and Finish Group on taxi and private hire vehicle licensing will report its findings to me in the new year.

At the request of the Department for Transport, the Law Commission undertook a comprehensive review of taxi and private hire regulation in England and Wales.

Since this report the sector has undergone profound and rapid change. At a Westminster Hall Debate on 5 July I announced the formation of a working group to consider any regulatory issues and remedies, including the Commission’s recommendations. The group will report in the New Year.

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. That group is considering both cross-border working and enforcement and passenger safety as two of key areas for discussion and will report its findings to me in the new year.

The Department for Transport does not currently hold any data on the number of taxi or private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers who have had their licences revoked. The Department has not made any estimate of the number of taxis and PHV drivers working cross-border who have had their licences revoked by a local licensing authority.

The Government attaches the utmost priority to passenger safety in the licenced taxi and PHV trade. The Department for Transport will consult on revised best practice guidance and for the first time statutory guidance enabled under the Policing and Crime Act 2017. This guidance will contain robust standards that we expect all licensing authorities to adopt; these will ensure all passengers, particularly children and vulnerable adults, are protected when using taxi and PHV services.

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. That group is considering both cross-border working and enforcement and passenger safety as two of key areas for discussion and will report its findings to me in the new year.

The Department for Transport does not currently hold any data on the number of taxi or private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers who have had their licences revoked. The Department has not made any estimate of the number of taxis and PHV drivers working cross-border who have had their licences revoked by a local licensing authority.

The Government attaches the utmost priority to passenger safety in the licenced taxi and PHV trade. The Department for Transport will consult on revised best practice guidance and for the first time statutory guidance enabled under the Policing and Crime Act 2017. This guidance will contain robust standards that we expect all licensing authorities to adopt; these will ensure all passengers, particularly children and vulnerable adults, are protected when using taxi and PHV services.

The Task and Finish Group on taxi and private hire vehicle licensing that I set up is considering cross-border taxi and private hire vehicle use in its discussions, and will report its findings to me in the new year.

At the request of the Department for Transport, the Law Commission conducted a comprehensive review of private hire vehicle and taxi regulation in England and Wales. The ability to sub-contract private hire work across licensing authority boundaries was a recommendation of the Law Commission. Section 11 of the Deregulation Act 2015 enabled this and has allowed private hire operators to work more flexibly to meet the needs of their passengers.