Costello doubts extra taxis promises

Mr Joe Costello (Lab) said he did not believe for a moment that there would be one extra taxi on the streets of Dublin before…

Mr Joe Costello (Lab) said he did not believe for a moment that there would be one extra taxi on the streets of Dublin before Christmas. There had been similar pre-Christmas promises over the last three years by Mr Molloy, but no additional taxis had materialised as a result.

An impasse had been created, with total opposition on one side and total deregulation on the other. The entire blame for this rested on the Government's side of the House, said Mr Costello, who was speaking in an emergency debate on the taxi deregulation controversy.

Ms Margaret Cox (FF) said she agreed there was a need to provide more taxis, but she had a difficulty with the manner in which deregulation had been implemented at this point.

Dr Mary Henry emphasised the need to ensure that those who acquired taxi licences under the deregulation regime were people of good standing.

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Mr Shane Ross (Ind) said he hoped very much that this was the forerunner of an end to all cartels in this country. It was easy enough to talk about deregulation but it was harder to implement it because of the strength of political lobbies. This particular one made absolute sense. Supply and demand were matched equally in this instance.

Mr David Norris said he had always thought it was a most serious offence to block access to the Houses of the Oireachtas, and yet that was what had happened in effect yesterday. Where were the clampers and where were the police? As somebody had said earlier in the House, the gardai had had their attack of blue flu and he supposed it would be somewhat invidious of them to go after people who were doing very much the same thing as they had been doing last year.

Mr Jim Walsh (FF) said the Minister was to be complimented for his courage on the issue. He welcomed deregulation of taxis and would also like to see the dismantling of the dinosaur that CIE had become.

Ms Therese Ridge (FG) said she strongly condemned taxi drivers who denied citizens access to their parliament. A massive breaking of the law had been witnessed yesterday. There had not been an official trade union protest but an unlawful gathering.

The people of Dublin had been held to ransom on a weekly basis by taxi personnel. They could be opening a Pandora's box if they allowed one particular group a tax write-off for capital losses they had incurred.