Taxi licence backlog - drivers hit out at delays affecting their livelihoods #BBCNolan

Last week, the Department of Infrastructure publicly told all of you that you had to licence your eBikes - and although they knew you literally could not do that - they didn't tell you. They sat on that information with the result that some of you went on a wild goose chase. It seems the Department of Infrastructure has done it again. And this time the ones getting the run around are hard working people like taxi drivers. On this programme, we've heard from drivers facing financial ruin because of long delays in the processing of their licences. We've discovered that the police are taking up to 60 DAYS to carry out criminal records checks on drivers. But the Department of Infrastructure insists that all taxi licence applications are processed within 10 working days, following receipt of all necessary information. But what does that mean? We've heard from drivers waiting 10 weeks for a new licence. Some cabbies have told us how they're currently out of work, unable to pay their bills, while they wait for their new licence. And they can't get through to anyone at the DVA to tell them what's happening. Meanwhile, the PSNI has apologised for long delays in carrying out criminal record checks under the Access NI scheme. The Police Service has told the Nolan Show that it's processing around 140 applications a day - and sometimes far more than that. And it says it's taking up to 60 days to turn these around. In statements to this programme, the PSNI has also revealed that a clerical error at the Driver and Vehicle Agency - the DVA - in Coleraine caused an additional four week delay in criminal record checks for taxi drivers applying for new licences. The police say they're now working urgently to process those applications. They've also told us that their Protective Disclosure Unit, which carries out the background checks, is not fully staffed at present. The PSNI say don't have anyone available to come on to the programme this morning. Stephen spoke to Harvey, who's a taxi driver in Newry, Sean, who was on the show earlier this week - and he had news of a big development in his case, and we got reaction from Alliance MLA David Ford.