To ask the Minister for Infrastructure whether she will review the legislation to exclude funeral director limousines from PSV classification.

Funeral cars are included as part of the Taxis Act 2008 (the Act) and are subject to PSV testing. They are regarded as taxis within the meaning of the Act, as they are vehicles which carry passengers for hire or reward in the course of their business. This is not new but rather a continuation of regulation under previous legislation (Road Traffic (Northern Ireland) Order 1981).

As you are aware, as Minister I have responsibility for road safety and I take that role very seriously. The current regulatory arrangements help to ensure we have a funeral sector that has appropriate safety standards embedded throughout, in urban and rural settings. I acknowledge that there are differences between funeral cars and other types of taxis. However the aim of the legislation was to introduce a proportionate licensing regime which would strike the right balance between the important safeguards that have been put in place to protect the public, and the commercial interests of operators.

Any review of the Taxis Act would require extensive legislative/policy consideration and public consultation which would not be possible in the short time remaining in this current Assembly mandate.