I’d like to thank the Cabinet Secretary for his detailed statement today. In 2014, the Law Commission outlined that there was a case to allow local authorities to have flexibility in deciding whether there should be a one-tier system, but I do understand it’s overall recommendation was that the two-tier system, which currently exists in England and Wales, should be retained within a single legal framework for the regulation of taxi and private hire services, because it promotes, of course, consumer choice and provision of a wide range of services.

As I understand it, the Welsh Government are minded towards a single-tier system, stating that the difference between taxis and private hire vehicles were meaningless to consumers. Your statement today seems to suggest that you still have a preference for proposals, which seek to implement national standards, which will not distinguish between taxis and private hire companies. With this in mind, can I ask what considerations you have made within the consultation to allow Welsh councils to respond to a localised one- or two-tier option, and, in light of your recent comments about the national standards to the Petitions Committee, what difficulties do you see—what difficulties do you foresee, I suppose—with the UK Government’s standards should they differ from Wales?

The Law Commission has also said that different ways in which taxis and private hire vehicles are engaged make different levels of regulations appropriate. So, perhaps you can state how you will guard against the unintended consequences if a single system is introduced, which could lead to over- or under-regulation.

Secondly, I understand from speaking to officers at Powys County Council, and from others as well, that there is the potential for cross-border issues with different licensing regimes in England and Wales. So, for example, once licensed, will providers be able to work across England and Wales and be subject to enforcement action by officers of any licensing authority? In its report, the Law Commission outlined significant concerns about the ability of taxis and private hire vehicles to accept bookings outside their local authority boundaries, which have been responded to in part by provisions in the Deregulation Act 2015. How will the Welsh Government be able to reconcile potentially a different operating system over what is a soft border between England and Wales? I’m sure, like me, Cabinet Secretary, you’ll understand the difficulties of working across border, representing a constituency on the border with England.

Thirdly, and finally, disabled passengers continue to suffer severe difficulties in obtaining and using taxis and PHV services. I think we can all agree with the overarching aim of seeing an improvement in terms of training for drivers of buses, trains, taxis and private hire vehicles, as well as an end to disabled people being disadvantaged in terms of PHV services. So, I would be grateful for confirmation as to whether the proposed reforms to licensing will include national standards in relation to driver training and vehicle specification.