To ask the Minister for Infrastructure whether she will publish a telephone number that applicants to the Taxi Drivers Financial Assistance Scheme can ring for an update on the status of their application.

No plans were made to publish a telephone number for applicants to ring for an update on their application for this scheme. To ensure that all our resources were focused on processing the thousands of applications received as a matter of priority, queries about an application were directed to the dedicated mailbox for response by a member of the team. However, provision of a contact number for the next scheme is currently being considered in advance of its launch.

Payments have now been made to over 4100 taxi drivers, with some 90% of eligible applications being processed for payment. The remaining applications unfortunately did not meet the criteria for the scheme and will be notified of this outcome this week.