§ Mr. Bidwellasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licences have been granted by the Metropolitan Police to individuals who are not full-time hackney carriage drivers; how applications are checked; and if there is any evidence of abuse of the system whereby full-time employees in outside industries work extra hours in private hire vehicles.
§ Mr. WhitelawThe information requested in the first part of the question is not available. The application procedures for cab drivers licences are set out in the London Cab Order 1934; the checking of applications is a matter for the licensing authority. Private hire vehicles in London are not licensed and no information is available about whether their drivers are full-time or not.