Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities have a taxi licensing policy in place.

The legislation that provides for the licensing of taxi services is enabling in its nature, giving licensing authorities the discretion to set standards that they deem to be appropriate for their area. Although currently there is no requirement in legislation for local authorities to have a published taxi licensing policy in place, the Department for Transport does publish Best Practice Guidance to assist licensing authorities when setting standards for taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) drivers and operators.

The Department will, for the first time, issue statutory guidance to licensing authorities. The guidance will contain robust standards that I expect all licensing authorities to adopt, to ensure that all passengers, particularly children and vulnerable adults, are protected when using taxi and PHV services. We will also consult on revised best practice guidance which will include recommendations to licensing authorities to assist them in setting appropriate standards to enable the provision of services the public demand.

At the recent Westminster Hall Debate on the ‘Regulation of working conditions in the private hire industry’ I announced my intention to set up a working group to consider how PHV and taxi licensing authorities use their powers. The group’s terms of reference and membership will be confirmed shortly.