YESTERDAY IN PARLIAMENT

Licensing functions under taxi and PHV legislation: protection of children and vulnerable adults

“(1) The Secretary of State may issue guidance to public authorities as to how their licensing functions under taxi and private hire vehicle legislation may be exercised so as to protect children, and vulnerable individuals who are 18 or over, from harm.

(2) The Secretary of State may revise any guidance issued under this section.

(3) The Secretary of State must arrange for any guidance issued under this section, and any revision of it, to be published.

(4) Any public authority which has licensing functions under taxi and private hire vehicle legislation must have regard to any guidance issued under this section.

(5) Before issuing guidance under this section, the Secretary of State must consult—

(a) the National Police Chiefs’ Council,

(b) persons who appear to the Secretary of State to represent the interests of public authorities who are required to have regard to the guidance,

(c) persons who appear to the Secretary of State to represent the interests of those whose livelihood is affected by the exercise of the licensing functions to which the guidance relates, and

(d) such other persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate.

(6) In this section, “taxi and private hire vehicle legislation” means—

(a) the London Hackney Carriages Act 1843;

(b) sections 37 to 68 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847;

(c) the Metropolitan Public Carriage Act 1869;

(d) Part 2 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976;

(e) the Private Hire Vehicles (London) Act 1998;

(f) the Plymouth City Council Act 1975 (c.xx).”—(Karen Bradley.)

This new clause provides for the Secretary of State to issue guidance to public authorities who have licensing functions under taxi and private hire vehicle legislation about how those functions may be exercised so as to protect children and vulnerable adults from harm. It also imposes a duty on those public authorities to have regard to the guidance.

Brought up, and added to the Bill.

New Clause 57

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