Dear Sir or Madam,

Please tell me:

1. what arrangements you make to ensure that taxi drivers licensed
by the council do not refuse to carry a passenger who has a
registered assistance dog (you will I hope be aware that this
extends substantially beyond Guide Dogs).

2. How many instances you are aware of where there have been such
refusals, and the reasons why

3. How many complaints you have had about this and how you have
dealt with them.

4. How your council meets its obligations in this respect under
Disability Discrimination legislation, to ensure that people with a
registered assistance dog are not refused by taxi drivers.

Yours faithfully,

Peter Heaton

Dear Customer

Thank you for contacting us. We acknowledge receipt of your message and
shall forward it to the appropriate department. You should normally
receive a response within 10 working days. However, if due to the
nature of your enquiry this is not possible, we shall contact you and
advise when you can expect a full response.

Yours faithfully
Watford Borough Council
www.watford.gov.uk

DISCLAIMER:

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Dear Mr Heaton

Thank you for your email which has been passed to me to reply as
follows:

1. The Council requires hackney carriage (taxi) drivers to take a
disability awareness course, and includes guidance on assisting disabled
passengers in the handbook issued to drivers. It carries out Operation
Dentist in conjunction with members of the One Watford Disability Forum
to assess whether drivers are failing in their obligations.

2. We have not had any reported cases to us within the last eighteen
months.

3. See above.

4. In addition to the answer to question 1, the Council has an internal
penalty points scheme which includes provision for punishing drivers who
refuse to carry passengers with registered assistance dogs.

I hope this answers your enquiry.

Yours sincerely,

Jeffrey Leib
Licensing Manager (and Vice-Chair, Institute of Licensing)
Licensing Team
Environmental Services
Watford Borough Council
Town Hall, Watford, Hertfordshire WD17 3EX

Phone:(01923)278503 Fax:(01923) 230765 Email:[email address]
or [email address]
Visit the Watford Borough Council website on www.watford.gov.uk

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Dear Jeffrey Leib,

Thank you for responding; however would you please give a specific
answer to my question 1 - I want to know what specific arrangements
you make in respect of registered assistance dogs.

Yours sincerely,

peter heaton

Dear Mr Heaton

I have outlined the council's arrangements in relation to registered
assistance dogs, and passengers with disabilities generally, in my
earlier reply. Drivers are given specific advice in their disability
awareness sessions; further advice in their driver handbooks; and we use
Operation Dentist and our penalty points scheme to reinforce those
messages.

Yours sincerely,

Jeffrey Leib
Licensing Manager (and Vice-Chair, Institute of Licensing)
Licensing Team
Environmental Services
Watford Borough Council
Town Hall, Watford, Hertfordshire WD17 3EX

Phone:(01923)278503 Fax:(01923) 230765 Email:[email address]
or [email address]
Visit the Watford Borough Council website on www.watford.gov.uk

DISCLAIMER:

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Dear Sir or Madam,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of
Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Watford Borough
Council's handling of my FOI request 'taxis and registered
assistance dogs - Disability Discrimination'.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ta...

I am not satisfied that my questions have been fully answered since
the response refers to hackney carriage vehicles but not to private
hire taxis, and I want to know what the position is in respect of
those too. I, like most people, include them in my definition of
taxis.
Yours sincerely,

peter heaton

Dear Customer

Thank you for contacting us. We acknowledge receipt of your message and
shall forward it to the appropriate department. You should normally
receive a response within 10 working days. However, if due to the
nature of your enquiry this is not possible, we shall contact you and
advise when you can expect a full response.

Yours faithfully
Watford Borough Council
www.watford.gov.uk

DISCLAIMER:

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Dear Mr Heaton,

Thank you for your email below regarding your earlier email and I
appreciate your use of the word 'taxi' to mean both a hackney carriage
vehicle and a private hire vehicle. Currently legislation makes a
distinction between hackney carriage 'taxis' and private hire 'taxis' and
that is why Mr Leib made it clear that his original response to your email
was with regard to hackney carriage 'taxis' only.

That being said below is an amended response to your original email which
now also includes reference to private hire 'taxis', which I have put in
bold to make it clear where the additions have been made.

I trust this now answers your original request however please do not
hesitate to contact me if I can assist further.

1. The Council requires hackney carriage (taxi) drivers to take a
disability awareness course and private hire drivers may take this if they
wish, and includes guidance on assisting disabled passengers in the
handbook issued to taxi and private hire drivers. It carries out Operation
Dentist in conjunction with members of the One Watford Disability Forum
to assess whether taxi and private hire drivers are failing in their
obligations.

2. We have not had any reported cases to us within the last eighteen
months.

3. See above.

4. In addition to the answer to question 1, the Council has an internal
penalty points scheme which includes provision for punishing taxi and
private hire drivers who refuse to carry passengers with registered
assistance dogs.

Regards

Alan Gough
Head of Environmental Services
Watford Borough Council

Town Hall, Watford, Hertfordshire WD17 3EX

Phone: (01923) 278600 Fax: (01923) 230765

Visit the Watford Borough Council website at: [1]www.watford.gov.uk

From: peter heaton[SMTP:[email address]]
>Sent: 25 June 2009 08:36:46
>To: CSC Enquiries
>Subject: Internal review of Freedom of Information request - taxis
and registered assistance dogs - Disability Discrimination
>Auto forwarded by a Rule
>
Dear Sir or Madam,

Please pass this on to the person who conducts Freedom of
Information reviews.

I am writing to request an internal review of Watford Borough
Council's handling of my FOI request 'taxis and registered
assistance dogs - Disability Discrimination'.

A full history of my FOI request and all correspondence is
available on the Internet at this address:

[2]http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ta...

I am not satisfied that my questions have been fully answered since
the response refers to hackney carriage vehicles but not to private
hire taxis, and I want to know what the position is in respect of
those too. I, like most people, include them in my definition of
taxis. Yours sincerely,

peter heaton

DISCLAIMER:

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References

Visible links
1. http://www.watford.gov.uk/
2. http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ta...
http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/ta...

Dear Alan Gough,

Would you bring legal proceedings under the Disability
Discrimination Act against a driver without an exemption
certificate who refused to carry a passenger with a registered
assistance dog?

Yours sincerely,

peter heaton

Thank you for your e-mail to Alan Gough, Head of Environmental Services at Watford Borough Council.

I will be away from the office until Monday 13 July 2009.

If your email is urgent please telephone 01923 278601 or re-send it to [email address]

Thank You

DISCLAIMER:

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Dear Mr Heaton,

Whilst I would like to be able to reply to your email below with a
simple 'Yes' unfortunately I can not. In determining what is the
appropriate action to take in the situation you set out we would have to
take account of all the circumstances, such as the quality of the
evidence available, the reliability of the evidence, whether there is a
realistic prospect of conviction etc. As an example, if this was a first
offence then penalty points or a caution might be a more proportionate
course of action.

If there is a specific issue or event that you would like to bring to my
attention for investigation / action then please do not hesitate to do
so.

Regards

Alan Gough
Head of Environmental Services
Watford Borough Council

Town Hall, Watford, Hertfordshire WD17 3EX

Phone: (01923) 278600 Fax: (01923) 230765

Visit the Watford Borough Council website at: www.watford.gov.uk

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