Richard Boyd Barrett Demands Taxi Support and NTA Accountability

Deputy Barrett wants to come back in on issues perhaps more directly related. I do, but I have to comment on that. I mean, the Chinese state is a brutal totalitarian state that has a terrible history of repression, including against the Uggers, Muslims that you're talking about. I'm going right back to Tiananmen Square. But isn't it a telling indictment of our own state and the NTA that taxi drivers who need PPE can't get it from their own government and from the NTA, but have to end up getting it from the Chinese state? I mean, I think that's a question that should be directed at the NTA, not at the taxi drivers. Well, or maybe the Department of Foreign Affairs as well. Yeah. And maybe we will. You might wish us to make that recommendation. I absolutely do. And I mean, I just want to thank Gerry and Jim, fair play to you for coming in, and all of the taxi representative groups. I am going to offer, um, no, absolutely. I wanted to just press for this session to take place. So you might want to speak last or you might wish to proceed now. It's, it's a matter for yourself. You want to, sorry, say that again. I know you pressed for this session to take place, so you might want to speak last or you might want to proceed now, but I'm just alerting you to that there are two other speakers. Sure. No, no problem. I'll be quick. No, I'll go ahead. If that's okay. And just thank, I mean, would it be a fair summary, just ask Gerry and Jim, that the key things that you're asking for is for this step down income subsidy to make it viable for taxi drivers to survive, for grants to cover your fixed costs because of the loss of income means you can't cover them yourselves, the 10 to 15, you know, the 10 year replacement rule to go to 15, a moratorium on new licenses and critically for the NTA and I suppose the government, the minister for transport to treat taxi drivers with respect and give them fair representation on a committee that's supposed to be representing them. Maybe you could just say if that is a fair summary, if there's anything else you'd like to add and maybe your own views about why the NTA seem to be treating taxi drivers with such contempt and ignoring them. And seeking to reduce your representation on committees rather than increase it. In relation to that, I would add that Dublin airport be added onto that list, that we need negotiations there and across the whole country and not take advantage of a COVID-19 to dismiss the organisations of taxi industry and other people in transport. The NTA seems to be a law unto themselves. They only come and look to solve problems. In fairness, we did solve an awful lot of problems in relation to the wheelchair, the driver check-up. All of this was brought in by representative groups at the time. In fairness, we had the person in charge of the NTA at the time, Hugh Cregan, who listened to taxi drivers and met massive amounts. I brought 30 people in to meet Hugh Cregan. I know it's not feasible now, but from gone from there to where we are at the moment, being totally ignored, it beggars beliefs. I think the new Minister of Transport needs to talk to taxi drivers and form a new committee and bring people in. We were recommended for bus services within the city when capacity had reached there. We need all to talk to one another within the transport community and not be ignored. If we are not being ignored, we are being dictated to. We are not being given information in relation to screens, masks and any other thing in relation to COVID-19. I think we are totally being ignored. Yes, Richard, there is a very good summary of our submission. The big thing is we need recognition. We want to be equal partners. We want to be sitting around the table with colleagues here and other people so we can discuss things. We are not looking for an equal chop of the cake. We are not looking for five million because they have five million. We want to sit down and work out how the transport system works. We all complement each other. I said it in my opening statement. We all need each other to survive and for success. I would just ask one last thing. Can you remember when the last promotion for the use of taxi was? Because I cannot. I think that is something that needs to be done immediately from the National Transport Authority to promote the use of small public service vehicles. As I said, the priority would be to stop the issuing of new licences at the moment. Letting guys come into an industry that is down on its knees. It is just wrong. Thanks, Mr.