James Lawless, the Minister of State in the Department of Transportation, has stated that while he is in favour of making CCTV in cabs necessary, the National Transport Authority (NTA) should be in charge of implementing it, reports RTE.
Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week, Mr. Lawless claimed that after the recent court case in which taxi driver Raymond Shorten was found guilty of raping two women in 2022 and given a 17-year prison sentence, people are now more aware of the risks associated with riding in a cab.
The Kildare North Fianna Fáil TD mentioned that the organisation that represents taxi drivers is in favour of the same action.
A substantial majority of respondents—97%—to the 2016 public consultation regarding CCTV in cabs stated they were against it. Nevertheless, Mr. Lawless claimed that “the mood has changed” since then, reports RTE.
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The minister stated that although taxis may be perceived as more private than a bus or train, they are “in reality a public transport space” because the majority of public transport, including buses, now employs CCTV.
He stated, “People are getting into cabs with strangers,” and that drivers had to go through screening.
When asked if the decision to install CCTV in cabs will be made, Mr. Lawless replied that although it made “a lot of sense,” the NTA would have the final say on the subject, reports RTE.
Regarding legislation for the relocation, Mr. Lawless stated that time was not on his side because an election was “happening in six months’ time or less” and he wasn’t sure whether a law could pass the Oireachtas in that amount of time.
According to information presented on the program, the NTA is unable to reveal how many people with taxi licenses have a criminal record, how many have had their licenses temporarily revoked after being found guilty of assault, or how many have had their licenses permanently revoked after committing serious crimes, reports RTE.
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