Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when her Department last met (a) the Mayor of Greater Manchester, (b) combined authorities and (c) other local authorities to discuss potential reforms to taxi licensing across local authority boundaries; when her Department last met (i) local authority's children’s services, (ii) police forces and (iii) local safeguarding partnerships to discuss the risks identified in chapter 7 of Baroness Casey's independent report entitled National audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse, published on 16 June 2025; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of the Mayor of Greater Manchester's campaign entitled Backing our taxis: local, licensed, trusted on public safety and out-of-area licensing.

Department for Transport Ministers and officials meet regularly with a range of stakeholders and discuss various issues relating to taxi and private hire vehicle licensing policy.

The Department is aware of the Mayor of Greater Manchester’s campaign entitled “Backing our taxis: local, licensed, trusted”.

The public should be safe in taxis and private hire vehicles regardless of where they live or travel. The Government has tabled an amendment to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill that would enable national minimum standards to be set for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. National minimum standards would enable Government to set a strong baseline for licensing right across England, to keep vulnerable children and indeed all members of the public safe, wherever they live or travel.