Will the Minister confirm that the Shared Regulatory Services are discussing with Welsh Government the potential for relaxing the current taxi vehicle licensing regime to extend the current licences for a defined period in line with other sectors and, if so, when will this guidance be available?
The Welsh Government has been in discussion with Shared Regulatory Services, the WLGA and the All Wales Licensing Expert Panel about finding solutions to taxi and private hire vehicle licence issues arising from the Covid 19 pandemic.
The Welsh Government has no direction powers in relation to taxi and private hire vehicles under the new emergency legislation or existing legislation. The current legislation states the decision to license a driver, vehicle, or operator lies with a local authority.
The approach that each local authority is taking will depend on their individual licensing policy and requirements.
The current licensing legislation applies to England and Wales. The Welsh Government is in contact with the Department for Transport about a standard approach and advice.
In order to address some of the Covid-19 related queries the taxi and private hire trade have been raising a frequently asked questions page has been added to the Business Wales website.
In terms of the wider taxi policy development, we are in the process of developing a guidance document with a number of suggested voluntary measures local authorities could implement to improve licensing standards and achieve a more consistent approach across Wales.
The voluntary guidance is being developed in addition to the work being undertaken to develop the long-term plans to transform Wales’ taxi licensing regime.