Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 20 Oct 2025 to Question 81532 on Taxis: Licensing, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the powers available to local licensing authorities for ensuring the effective enforcement of private-hire vehicles that are licensed in one authority but predominantly operate in another.

The Department for Transport is legislating to tackle inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. The English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill would enable the setting of national minimum standards in licensing.

We are considering further options including in relation to out of area working and enforcement powers. In the interim, as recommended in the Department’s guidance to licensing authorities in England, enforcement officers should be jointly authorised by authorities where there is a need. The guidance also highlights that licensing authorities can seek further powers from their local police chief constables under the Community Safety Accreditation Scheme (CSAS).