Brennan confirms Deering as taxi regulator

The Minister for Transport has confirmed the appointment of the current deputy manager of Carlow County Council as chairman of the Commission for Taxi Regulation.

Mr Gerard Deering will take office in September, when the commission will be established on a statutory basis under the Taxi Regulation Act of 2003.

The new commission will introduce and monitor provisions aimed at improving the quality of service provided by the State's 14,000 taxis, hackneys and limousines.

Mr Brennan said today the taxi regulator will be responsible for licensing taxis, overseeing the development of a safe and efficient service and introducing new standards for those seeking licences, including detailed knowledge of the area in which they propose working.

Mr Deering will work toward bringing in rules governing the age and mininum size of vehicles, setting out a dress code for drivers and adopting a national uniform colour for all taxis. Mr Brennan said last week he favoured painting all taxis yellow.

Mr Brennan also announced that all applicants for taxi licences will have to provide a tax clearance certificate from the Revenue Commissioners from August 4th.

The Minister said he hoped the Commission and the Taxi Council would help to foster a "cab culture" in Ireland on a par with those found in New York or London.

The 18-member National Taxi Council, which is headed by, Mr Pat Byrne, former Garda Commissioner, was established last year. It is responsible for making recommendations relating to standards, entry criteria and codes of practices for taxi drivers.

Mr Deering's appointment was welcomed by the National Taxi Drivers Union, which said it looked forward to increased checks on people seeking licences.

"We have reached an all-time low with the calibre of people being allowed in, though an awful lot are decent some undesirables have got in," Mr Vinnie Kearns of the NTDU said. "A taxi driver in Rathmines was recently found guilty of a triple rape, one in Cork had five-kilos of cocaine in the sign and another in Coolock was found guilty on two counts of sexual assault."

Mr Deering (44) was appointed after a public competition. The post had to be readvertised at a salary of more than €100,000 last January because efforts to fill the job at a salary of €92,000 were unsuccessful.

Although there were 17 applicants for the position, the Civil Service Commission was unable to make a recommendation on an appointment at the initial salary.