WEST Belfast MP Paul Maskey has welcomed the roll-out of the second financial support scheme for taxi drivers but expressed concern about the length of time it is taking the Department for Infrastructure (DfI) to process the payments.
Speaking after the Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon announced the second round of the scheme, Mr Maskey said: “I wrote to the Department this morning on behalf of a driver who applied when the first scheme opened in November and has still to hear from DfI. My concern is if it takes the same amount of time as it did in the first round then drivers will have to wait another few months before they receive a penny.
“The first scheme that was launched blocked a number of drivers from benefitting from it as they took a break in their insurance for obvious reasons because there was no work and they weren’t earning a wage. These drivers had to take a break to cut some of their costs.
“I am glad that the second phase has opened up and it is good to see that that is being opened and all drivers will be able to apply for the second round and also those who were blocked from the first round can also apply” he continued.
“However, those who had a break in their insurance will be penalised as for every 30 days that they had a break in their insurance they will have £250 deducted from the money they are eligible for. I think that is wrong and that all drivers who were working through that period or had to take time off because of the Covid restrictions or there was no work should be entitled to the full amount.”
One taxi driver who we spoke to expressed his concern about the ability of DfI to process the scheme. The driver who did not wish to be named told us: “If there is going to be another couple of thousand people applying for this then it is going to hold us back. They couldn’t deal with 4,000 of us the previous time so if they are having to deal with another few thousand people applying then I don’t know when we are going to see the money.”
He questioned the application process asking: “Could they not have simplified the application for those of us who had previously received the grant so that we can notify them that nothing has changed? Because nothing has changed from the last application.
“When you apply for the HMRC grant it is in your bank within three days and they are dealing with tens of thousands of people yet DfI struggled to process the previous scheme” he added.
The scheme launches on 26th February and will provide support to drivers covering the 12 month period from 22 March 2020 to 21 March 2021. The maximum amount available will be £3,000 including any money awarded under the first scheme and will be dependent on the number of days that taxi drivers had insurance in place over the period. It is in addition to support for self-employed taxi drivers from other schemes such as the Self Employment Income Support Scheme.
For more information, drivers can call the dedicated information line on 028 9054 0605 which is open between 9-00am-5.00pm Monday to Friday.
