Founders of the Irish State would not be permitted to hold a taxi licence under new legislation to regulate the industry, the Dáil was told.
Sinn Féin transport spokesman Dessie Ellis said enactment of the Taxi Regulation Bill would mean people convicted of offences as part of the conflict in the North would have to appeal to keep their licences or “will be barred from entering the industry”.
The Dublin North West TD said the Belfast Agreement “which this State signed up to and has a duty to uphold, is clear in opposing barriers to employment for former political prisoners”.
Political prisoner
Mr Ellis said he was a former political prisoner, as were many leading members of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil in the past, when they served in the House.
He asked Minister of State Alan Kelly, who introduced the Bill, "if Michael Collins, Richard Mulcahy, Joe McGrath, Proinsias De Rossa, Eamon de Valera and Seán Lemass, all former political prisoners, were not fit to drive taxis".
He described as “bluff and rubbish” previous comments by the Minister that it was a matter for the Minister for Justice and could be dealt with under spent convictions legislation.
Mr Kelly asked why Sinn Féin had not raised the issue in the Seanad when the Bill was introduced there.
Mr Ellis said there was plenty of time for amendments. He had raised the issue on numerous occasions and the Minister “should not be trying to pass the buck”.
Mr Ellis said all legislation in the Dáil should honour the international agreements signed by the State. A similar attempt was made to bar political prisoners in the North from driving taxis but the courts ruled the state had no right to discriminate in this matter.
He said “given the Irish constitutional protection for the right to make a living, I have no doubt a similar case would be successful in this State should this section of the Bill remain”.
He called on the Minister to avoid such legal action by looking again at the approach in the Bill and to exclude those covered by the Belfast Agreement.
Struggling
Mr Ellis also said taxi drivers were struggling and in recent years "far too many have decided they had nothing to live for and took their own lives".
He said an estimated 25 taxi drivers took their own lives between 2008 and 2010. Nobody could be certain why they chose that option “but it is likely the dire economic circumstances faced by most of them was a contributory factor”.
Introducing the legislation, Mr Kelly said the Bill would provide a “robust legislative basis” to strengthen enforcement of the taxi regulations. The Bill represented a “good day for the taxi sector” and would have a major impact on the sector.
He was satisfied the measures “strike an appropriate balance between consumer interests, the interests of operators in the industry and the need for the regulatory bodies to be able to undertake proportionate and effective oversight”.
Fianna Fáil transport spokesman Timmy Dooley expressed concern about the new branding required by taxi drivers on their vehicles, which brought unwanted attention to them and their homes because it indicated to “criminal elements” that they were small business owners likely to have cash about them late at night.
The debate continues.
