Speeches by Greenwood.

“There are two reasons. Obviously, fees are determined by local authorities in order to be self-funding. I recognise that the cost of operating in a local authority service is not uniform across the country. There will be variations, for example, in wage rates in different places; local authorities will not have exactly…”

“It is about what the necessary standards are. What is the licensing authority there to do? Clearly, it is about ensuring that the public are safe, have a quality of service, and are not going to face discrimination. To give you one example: there is one local authority that requires that PHV drivers wear shirt and trou…”

“Certainly, I met with Wolverhampton very recently. I cannot remember whether it was just before Christmas or just after.”

“Frankly, it was rather reluctant about the role it had ended up with. I do not think it was ever the intention to become the go-to licensing authority, and it does not have any choice. If someone turns up at Wolverhampton, asks to be licensed and meets the standards, they will be licensed there. There is a bit of a myt…”

“I do not think so. We are quite open to looking at the views that people want to put forward.”

“I agree; that is a fair point.”

“As we have heard, some people are licensing with authorities away from where they intend to work because they can get licensed more quickly and cheaply and start earning money to support their family. By making all local transport authorities responsible for licensing and having national minimum standards, it will redu…”

“It is going to be because it has invested in doing that. It is almost self-fulfilling that, once you have done all that, you are going to become faster and more efficient. I do not think it is an ideal situation. We want people to be licensing where they intend to work. That is why we have looked at these short-term me…”

“I absolutely agree that emissions are a big issue, particularly in our towns and cities. It is perhaps less of an issue for a taxi and PHV operating in a much more rural area. There is an argument for saying that if you are a licensing authority primarily looking after a city or urban area, that it is reasonable to inc…”

“Obviously, there are lots of different options around tackling out-of-area working: for example, that you could only pick up a fare in your area and take it somewhere else, and do another one from wherever you were back into the area. As Liz said earlier, there are some disadvantages of making those sorts of restrictio…”

“That is really interesting because obviously my experience of using taxis and PHVs is that a lot of them are modern hybrid vehicles. Actually, on certain apps, when you get your choice of vehicle you get the option to take an electric vehicle rather than not, and it might come at a bit of a price point. The public are …”

“Probably early April, yes.”

“The power that is set out in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill would give us the ability to put requirements on that. I would be interested in the Committee’s view. Obviously, there is a big incentive for local authorities to process licence applications in a timely fashion, particularly if you want…”

“The requirements that we put on for licensing of drivers and operators are neutral. I also wonder whether the distinction between app-based operators and traditional operators is still valid. In my own local authority, I have been using DG Cars for donkey’s years. Back in the day, you would phone up and book one. Now t…”

“Hopefully, not very many.”

“I am open to considering that. The concerns that we have are as Liz and I have set out, but we are certainly not averse to looking at those sorts of ideas.”

“That is a really difficult judgment. I come from a background of having been a trade union official. It is not unusual for someone who is not arrested, obviously—well, he could be arrested­—but who is facing a serious allegation in a workplace to be suspended, but obviously they would be suspended on full pay.”

“When we look at our provisions or proposals around national minimum standards, our starting point is based on the statutory guidance that the Department already provides and the best practice guidance. When it comes to safeguarding, we expect all drivers to have an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service and barred lis…”

“In making decisions, you want to have the fullest possible information to help you to make those decisions. Clearly, the police can share information on those who might not have a conviction that would result in them appearing on enhanced and barred lists, but that might cause you to apply that fit and proper person te…”

“Yes. In your question are you talking about how the enforcement would work in those particular areas, or restricting, or the rules that the driver faces depending on where they go? I am sorry, I am probably not following it.”