Taxi/Private Hire Drivers and Operators

The request was successful.

David Littlejohn

Dear Aberdeen City Council,

Under the provisions of FOI legislation can you please provide the following with regards to private hire/ taxi driver licence and operator licence applications.

1. Details of the checks undertaken during the vetting of applicants, excluding the vetting undertaken by Police Scotland
2. A copy of your vetting standard operating procedure
3. Does the vetting include checking if the applicant has previously held or had a similar licence refused, revoked, suspended etc from another licensing authority?
4. If no vetting, apart from that undertaken by Police Scotland, takes place, has a risk assessment detailing the risks of allowing the granting of licences been undertaken?
5. If a risk assessment has been completed please provide a copy?
6. If no risk assessment has been undertaken please provide details of why not?
7. Details of the training undertaken by all employees involved in the vetting procedures, not including the vetting undertaken by Police Scotland.

Yours faithfully,

David Littlejohn

Foi Enquiries, Aberdeen City Council

Dear Mr Littlejohn,

Information enquiry reference FOI-17-0536.

Thank you for your recent request for information, which we received on 3 April 2017.

The scheduled date for our response to your request for information is on or before 3 May 2017.

Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any queries in the meantime.

Yours sincerely,

Information Compliance Team
Communications and Promotion
Office of Chief Executive
Aberdeen City Council
3rd Floor North
Business Hub 17
Marischal College
Broad Street
ABERDEEN AB10 1AQ

[Aberdeen City Council request email]
01224 523827/523602

Tel 03000 200 292

*03000 numbers are free to call if you have ‘free minutes’ included in your mobile call plan.
Calls from BT landlines will be charged at the local call rate of 10.24p per minute (the same as 01224s).

www.aberdeencity.gov.uk

show quoted sections

Foi Enquiries, Aberdeen City Council

1 Attachment

Dear Mr Littlejohn,

 

Thank you for your information request of 20 April 2017.  Aberdeen City
Council (ACC) has completed the necessary search for the information
requested.

 

Under the provisions of FOI legislation can you please provide the
following with regards to private hire/ taxi driver licence and operator
licence applications.

 

1.      Details of the checks undertaken during the vetting of applicants,
excluding the vetting undertaken by Police Scotland.

 

A check is conducted with the DVLA to ensure that applicants have a valid
drivers’ licence for the UK, to note and record any endorsements, also
that the licence is current and they have held it continuously for 12
months prior to application.  We conduct Immigration checks to establish
that the applicant has the right to live and work in the UK, follow up
checks are also made with the Home Office.  Any applicant that has a
medical issue or receives medication are referred to the Councils medical
services provider to ensure they meet DVLA group 2 medical standards.  The
applicants are also tested on their knowledge of streets, places, routes
and highway code.

For operators licences checks are conducted to show they are the owner of
the vehicle, that the vehicle is MOT’d, road taxed and insured all in the
operators’ name. 

 

2.      A copy of your vetting standard operating procedure 3. Does the
vetting include checking if the applicant has previously held or had a
similar licence refused, revoked, suspended etc. from another licensing
authority?

 

There is no single vetting standard operating procedure at present. 
Officers refer to various licensing procedures when conducting checks,
including Home Office guidance, internal medical procedures, DVLA
guidance. 

 

No checks are conducted on whether the applicant has previously held or
had a similar licence refused, revoked, suspended by another licensing
authority.

 

3.       If no vetting, apart from that undertaken by Police Scotland,
takes place, has a risk assessment detailing the risks of allowing the
granting of licences been undertaken?

 

No

 

4.      If a risk assessment has been completed please provide a copy?

 

N/A

 

5.      If no risk assessment has been undertaken please provide details
of why not?

 

Procedures as set out in statute (Civic Government (Scot) Act 1982) are
followed and adhered to.  The Act sets out grounds for refusal and if none
exist then the licence must be granted,  therefore a risk assessment would
not contribute anything to the application process.

 

6.      Details of the training undertaken by all employees involved in
the vetting procedures, not including the vetting undertaken by Police
Scotland.

 

Immigration/Home Office training & on the job internal training.

 

 

We hope this helps with your request.

 

 

Yours sincerely,

 

Information Compliance Team

 

INFORMATION ABOUT THE HANDLING OF YOUR REQUEST

 

ACC handled your request for information in accordance with the provisions
of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. Please refer to the
attached PDF for more information about your rights under FOISA.

 

 

Information Compliance Team
Communications and Promotion
Office of Chief Executive
Aberdeen City Council
3rd Floor North

Business Hub 17
Marischal College
Broad Street
ABERDEEN AB10 1AQ

[1][Aberdeen City Council request email]

01224 523827/523602

Tel 03000 200 292

 

*03000 numbers are free to call if you have ‘free minutes’ included in
your mobile call plan.

Calls from BT landlines will be charged at the local call rate of 10.24p
per minute (the same as 01224s).

[2]www.aberdeencity.gov.uk

 

 

 

 

 

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