§ Mr. RedmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action is taken to ensure that(a) new taxi driver licence applicants and (b) current taxi driver licence holders have declared any past criminal offences.
§ Mr. McLoughlinOutside London, section 59 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 requires district councils, which license taxi drivers, to satisfy themselves that an applicant is a fit and proper person to hold a licence. The majority of councils will require both new applicants and those seeking to renew their licences to declare any past criminal offences, and local authorities sometimes request police corroboration of such declarations. However, information from police records is not generally made available for these purposes.