To ask the Minister for the Economy to detail what her Department can offer to the taxi industry in terms of (i) financial support measures; and (ii) guidance in relation to implementation of social distancing requirements.

Schedules 1 and 3 to the Budget Act 2020 allocate funding to the Department for Infrastructure for “transport licensing, enforcement and regulation”, as well as “support for transport services including grants in respect of rail and road passenger services including fare concessions”. Taxis are clearly regarded as “transport services”.

Within this context I have set out below my own Department’s actions, as well as those of the Executive and UK government, in providing financial support and guidance to this industry.

Financial Support measures for the Taxi Industry

The Executive and UK Government has introduced an unprecedented number of interventions and packages of financial support to help those who have been affected by the consequences of Covid-19.

Information on current and evolving support options are being updated continuously on the NI Business Info website:

https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/campaign/coronavirus-updates-support-your-business

I understand that over 30 taxi firms which met the eligibility criteria, were able to access the business support grants available in Northern Ireland. In addition taxi firms and self-employed taxi drivers who met the relevant criteria are able to access national support packages including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS), which have both been extended to October 2020.

Health and Safety Guidance, including social distancing

Neither the Health and Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) nor my Department are responsible for providing specific advice or direction on the application of the public health guidance on social distancing and safe working practice for the transport industry, which includes taxi companies, owners and drivers. To reiterate, these are public health matters, with specific policy responsibility for this industry residing with the Department for Infrastructure.

A safety guidance document, Covid-19: Working Through This Together, A Practical Guide to Making Workplaces Safer’, is available on the NI Business Info website and has been informed by input from the Public Health Authority (PHA) and HSENI:

https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/sites/default/files/Covid-19-Working-Through-This-Together.pdf

There are a large number and wide variety of businesses and working environments, and an assessment of each has to be fact-specific. It is, therefore, for each business, in light of its own legal advice, to determine whether it can continue to, or start to operate in accordance with the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020 and the guidance that has been produced.