Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing Civil Servants in his Department with relevant knowledge to be seconded to local licensing authorities to deal with the backlog in processing taxi and private hire vehicle licensing applications.

The Department for Transport is responsible for setting the regulatory framework for the licensing of the taxi and private hire vehicle sectors. Local licensing authorities are responsible for processing licensing applications. The Department published the Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards in 2020, providing guidance for licensing authorities. This states that licensing authorities should ensure that all individuals that determine whether a licence is issued or refused are adequately resourced to allow them to discharge the function effectively and correctly. These individuals that determine whether a licence is issued should be required to undertake sufficient training.