brightonbreezy wrote:
Please see the report I received from the GMB PDB representative who attended.
GMB PDB notes from Meeting of Mind meeting at the DfT London 10/03/10
Present at the meeting representatives of the DfT, GMB, Unite, NPHA, NTTG, NTA, GoSkills, Lacors, Keen Group (London) and a few local associations.
Overview of the work of BT5 (Taxi and accessibility policy branch)
DfT gave a brief presentation explaining the work of the branch, within the DfT that deals with taxi licensing. Following a recent reorganisation within the DfT, for their sins (not their words), they also deal with accessibility issues relating to buses.
Accessible taxis – consultation progress and next steps
DfT updated representatives on the consultation, and restated that they will be looking to three areas to trial the new requirement for WAVs. It was also mentioned that a legal duty will be put on all drivers to assist disabled customers, and ensure all customers being transported in their wheelchairs travel in a safe and secure manner. The secure manner was emphasised, meaning that all customers should be safely secured to the vehicle, and not just wheeled in and left. It was also stated that under no circumstances should customers travel sideways whilst sitting in their wheelchairs.
Equality Bill – revisions and new clause
DfT confirmed that the Lords amendment for all PH vehicles to take wheelchairs was withdrawn, and that the amendment which stops a restricting council from refusing an application for a wheelchair taxi (if that council has a lower % of taxi WAVs than a DfT minimum, NB to be announced) was accepted. If the Lords amendment gains Royal Assent there will be a consultation period, which will allow the DfT to come to the minimum % of WAV taxis required in each restricting council. This consultation will be concluded well before the end of this year. Representatives of the NPHA suggested that drivers over the age of 60 should be allowed to license a saloon taxi, on health and safety grounds, allowing them to help meet the demand for disabled customers unable to access WAV taxis. This was supported by many representatives at the meeting including the GMB. DfT said that if representatives took that view then they need to put that in the subsequent consultation responses.
Best practice guidance – revised document
DfT confirmed that they had recently issued new Best Practise guidance, and that they had listened to representatives over the Diabetes issue. Concern was expressed from the trade that as this was only guidance councils tended to ignore many issues, and do as they like. A view was given from the trade that this guidance should be statutory, which would mean councils would have to give good reasons if they went against the guidance. However it was mentioned by the NPHA that the courts gave a lot of weight to this guidance, against councils that choose to ignore it.
Training – changes to QCF framework, training providers etc
Representative of GoSkills outlined the future of taxi/PH training. He stated that a thorough review of taxi/PH training had taken place, following years of complaints from the trade, in respect of (not his exact words) pointless and ill-conceived training given by so-called qualified trainers. This has cost the country many millions of pounds, and trade members suggested that a lot of that has been wasted. Looking forward GoSkills are constructing a new training system and are open to offers of help and advice from the trade. Any stakeholder who wishes to help GoSkills should contact Paul at the DfT so he can pass on details to Go Skills.
6. Outline of LACORS engagement strategy with local authorities –Tom Moody
LACORS (the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services) are part of the LGA Group, the local government central body responsible for overseeing local authority regulatory and related services in the UK. They have decided to include taxi licensing in their remit, a few hundred years after taxi licensing came into being! Their representative said he wanted to help promote the DfT’s Best Practice guidance, and review issues within the taxi licensing sphere such as fees and conditions, and try to get the 400 councils away from 400 differing sets of rules and regulations. The GMB look forward to working with Lacors, and will offer them any assistance they require.
7. AOB and close
A number of concerns were expressed from the trade including several abuses of the new suspension procedures coming out the 2007 Road Traffic Act. Suspending drivers for weeks for very low level licensing breaches. Taking people livelihoods away from them for trivial reasons is not in accordance with the promises made by the DfT prior to the act, and a review of that section is urgently require. Again as promised prior to the act being passed. Several representatives, including the GMB, asked for the DfT to again look at the cross border issue. This issue is of concern to thousands of drivers throughout the country, and the GMB’s policy is it needs sorting out urgently.
HA. Now I know why nobody was saying anything... they were too busy writing.... and you forgot to mention that the Department for Transport are heavily involved in the forthcoming Olympics......
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