Can I thank Russell George for his comments, his questions and say that I think his contribution points to the fact that there is general agreement across the Chamber that reform is required, that modernisation is required and that legislation is required? The framework currently is more than 150 years old; it was updated 44 years ago. It's high time that new legislation was introduced that recognises the age that we now live in, the new technologies that are being embraced and the different ways that people operate.

With regard to the proposals, they have generally been welcomed, and specifically with regard to national standards. I think they make sense and they address concerns that have been raised through the consultation process on the White Paper. Eliminating the two-tier system I think is necessary for Wales. Obviously, the situation might be different elsewhere. In London, there is a very different environment for hackney cabs to operate in, but, here in Wales, I think most people that we serve would struggle to identify the differences between hackney carriages and private hire vehicles, and having a one-tier system makes perfect sense for the passenger. It also makes perfect sense for the industry itself. We'd be able to then apply consistent sets of regimes across all forms of vehicles and services.

Of course, we'll need to address border issues between England and Wales. We're working very closely with the Department for Transport regarding this matter, and I'd agree with Russell George that there are many people who work on the English side of the border that bring people into Wales and vice versa. There are people who live in Wales who are registered as taxi drivers, private hire vehicle drivers, across the border in England, and, therefore, as part of the work on the legislation, we'll be liaising with the Department for Transport, and, indeed, local stakeholders across the border in England, to ensure that the introduction of legislation here in Wales is compatible with the operation of taxi and private hire vehicle services across the border.

And then in terms of the question of fees, I think it's essential that the fees regime is transparent, it's as consistent as possible, and that it is fair—that it doesn't lead to skewing of applications away from one particular area in favour of another area because the fees are lower, or, indeed, because the standards are lower. Many of the current problems that we see with the system as it operates right now concern those local authority discrepancies, those differences. The licensing requirements across Wales differ for various reasons, including the maximum age that a licensed vehicle can be, the frequency of vehicle testing, the vehicle testing standards, the driver knowledge tests and the driver medical standards, to name but a few different inconsistent approaches across Wales. Therefore, having consistency as much as possible across Wales makes perfect sense, especially for those areas where there is a significant amount of market activity, such as in Cardiff and Newport, also Swansea and in and around Wrexham as well.