Nov. 17 2023
Source Page: Government calls on councils to make taxis and private hire vehicles more accessibleFound: Government calls on councils to make taxis and private hire vehicles more accessible
Nov. 17 2023
Source Page: Government calls on councils to make taxis and private hire vehicles more accessibleFound: Government calls on councils to make taxis and private hire vehicles more accessible
Make private hire taxis and hackney cabs zero-rated for VAT
- Final Signatures: 61
Make private hire taxis and hackney cabs zero-rated for VAT, like public transport.
Found: Some of the most vulnerable people use taxis across the country: elderly, disabled, young children going
Asked by: Dan Carden (Labour - Liverpool, Walton)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to monitor the effectiveness of local taxi licensing authorities.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Government provides guidance to taxi and private hire vehicle licensing authorities in England to assist them in exercising their licensing function https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/licensing-of-taxis-and-phvs-for-local-authorities-in-england
The Department for Transport uses its annual statistical survey of licensing authorities to help monitor uptake of the guidance.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had discussions with (a) London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) Ltd and (b) the wider industry on the repair capacity for (i) LEVC black cabs and (ii) other electric taxis.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department has regular engagement with LEVC and the wider industry on a range of topics, most recently including manufacturing trends and the extension to the Plug In Taxi Grant. However, matters relating to electric taxi repairs have not been raised.
The Government recognises there will be a transitional period for the repair sector as the UK moves to zero emission road transport. Although not specifically on electric taxis, the Government funded research by Thatcham to understand the impact of the electric vehicle transition on the repair sector, which was published in 2023. The number of EV qualified technicians has risen rapidly. Data from the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) suggests there are 52,000 qualified electric vehicle technicians in the UK, which is 22% of all UK technicians. This is relative to 3.8% of all vehicles in the UK being a plug-in electric vehicle.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the application of VAT to taxis and licensed minicab journeys on vulnerable people who need to use taxis and private-hire vehicles.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The VAT rules for mini cab services and taxis remain unchanged. Fares have always been subject to VAT when provided by a VAT registered business who is providing those services as principal. The Government is carefully considering the potential impact the Uber Britannia Limited v Sefton Borough Council (2023) EWHC 1975 case will have on the sector as a whole, including passengers.Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the application of VAT to taxis and licensed minicabs journeys on minicab businesses operating in remote areas.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The VAT rules for mini cab services and taxis remain unchanged. Fares have always been subject to VAT when provided by a VAT registered business who is providing those services as principal. The Government is carefully considering the potential impact the Uber Britannia Limited v Sefton Borough Council (2023) EWHC 1975 case will have on the sector as a whole, including customers that live in remote areas.Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to increase the availability of wheelchair accessible private hire vehicles in Newcastle.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Local licensing authorities have an important role to play in ensuring disabled people can access the taxi and private hire vehicle services that they rely upon.
In 2022 we consulted on updated best practice guidance, including recommending that authorities use their existing powers to licence mixed fleets of taxis and PHVs incorporating sufficient wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) to satisfy the demand from passengers who rely upon them. The substantive guidance will be published later this year.
We also supported the passage of the Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (Disabled Persons) Act 2022, which introduced important protections for disable passengers when using taxis and PHVs.
Asked by: Lord Moylan (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks made by Earl Howe on 22 May where he stated that they plan to "engage stakeholders on the proposal set out in the levelling up White Paper to explore transferring the responsibility for licensing taxis and private hire vehicles to upper-tier and combined authorities" during the course of this year, when they intend to initiate that process.
Answered by Lord Davies of Gower - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The Department for Transport intends to carry out engagement on this issue early next year.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to encourage the transition to fully electric taxi fleets in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Taxi policy is a devolved matter in all UK nations. However, the UK Government provides Plug in Vehicle Grants to support the transition to zero emission vehicles across the UK. These include a number of harder to transition vehicles including taxis, wheelchair accessible vehicles and vans. The eligibility for these grants is based on the vehicle design and capability. All grants are kept under continual review to ensure the best value for taxpayer's money.
Some local authorities in the devolved administrations may have received money to support chargepoint installation through the Levelling Up Fund, such as in Northern Ireland, which received £3 million towards the upgrade of the electric vehicle charging network.