TRANSPORT COMMITTEE REPORT Government Response
The Government agrees with the Committee on the importance of robust and consistent safeguarding requirements across taxis and PHVs. The safety of passengers will always remain our top priority.
The Government intends to include standards on safeguarding, including the completion of safeguarding training, as part of the forthcoming national standards. These will set consistent requirements for all licensing authorities to ensure that absolute safeguarding protections are applied across England. All national standards, including those relating to safeguarding and training, will be subject to consultation.
The Government recognises the importance of ensuring licensing authorities have access to relevant and comprehensive information when making decisions about the suitability of drivers. Enhanced DBS checks with a check of the barred lists play an important role in this.
Recommendation 6
The government should ensure that guidance clearly links the criteria for making a fit and proper person judgement to national licensing standards.
Government Response
There should be a clear and consistent link between national licensing standards and the criteria used by licensing authorities in determining whether an individual is a fit and proper person to hold a licence.
As part of the development of national standards, the Government will ensure that these are explicitly aligned with, and inform, the assessment of fit and proper person status. This will support greater consistency in decision making across licensing authorities. In addition, the Government will review the relevant statutory guidance to ensure it clearly reflects this.
Recommendation 7
The department should work with the Home Office to place information sharing between policing bodies and licensing authorities on a statutory footing so that there are common expectations everywhere. This should include a duty to share relevant safeguarding and risk information for licensing purposes, supported by a standard expectation on timeliness.
PHTM NOVEMBER 2026 Government Response
The Government recognises the importance of timely and effective information sharing between policing bodies and licensing authorities, particularly in relation to safeguarding and the assessment of risk.
Inconsistencies in current information sharing arrangements can undermine licensing authorities’ ability to make informed decisions about a driver’s suitability and to act promptly when concerns arise. As well as considering this as part of the Department’s feasibility work on the national licensing database, the Government will continue to work closely with the Home Office and licensing authorities to review existing mechanisms for improving information sharing.
Recommendation 8
The national licensing database should enable licensing authorities to confirm licence
status,
licensing history and the responsible authority quickly and ensure that refusals, revocations and other relevant decisions are recorded consistently and visible to all authorities. The department should set out a clear timescale on which this work will be completed.
Government Response
The Government is progressing work on developing a national licensing database for taxis and PHVs. This system will enable licensing authorities to confirm key information, including licence status, licensing history, and the identity of the responsible licensing authority. It will also support the sharing of other relevant decisions, including refusals, suspensions, and revocations, improving transparency, and reducing the risk of unsuitable individuals obtaining a license in another area.
We recognise that the effectiveness of a national licensing database will depend not only on the information it contains, but also on the consistency and timeliness of data entry, clear and consistent standards governing the information recorded, and how licensing authorities access it. As part of the pre- legislative scrutiny process, the Government will consider requirements for information that must be recorded on the database, including previous licensing decisions, together with expectations and timescales for submitting and updating records. These considerations will form a core part of the design process.
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