South Swindon MP Sir Robert Buckland and North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson have welcomed a new law introduced by the Government today, which will help to safeguard passengers and crack down on unfit taxi and private hire vehicle drivers as part of ‘Sian’s Legacy’.
Sian O’Callaghan was tragically murdered by a cab driver following a night out in Swindon in 2011, changing her family's lives forever.
As a result of the new law, councils in England will now be mandated to use a national database to record instances where taxi and PHV drivers have their licences removed for misconduct. This new law will prevent them from simply reapplying for a licence in other areas by alerting the system to concerns about their prior behaviour.
This will ensure passengers can use taxis and PHVs with greater confidence that these modes of transport are safe.
The new robust rules have been introduced following years of hard work and campaigning by Elaine Pickford and Liam O’Callaghan (mother and brother of Sian O’Callagham), Justin Tomlinson MP (who launched the campaign in Parliament back in 2018), and Sir Robert Buckland MP (who helped create the legislation with Peter Gibson MP) and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust. As Justice Secretary, Sir Robert pressed colleagues in Government to support this measure being introduced into Parliament and then as a backbencher served on the Bill committee.
Sian’s family said:
“To see this law being implemented and rolled out today across all local authorities is testament to Sian. It was in her nature to help others, and this means so much to us personally.
“Her name is now linked to a drastic improvement in passengers’ safety within taxis and PHVs, while also better protecting hard-working, law-abiding drivers themselves.”
Commenting, Sir Robert Buckland MP and Justin Tomlinson MP said:
“Sian’s legacy will now help to keep millions of people in our country safer. Elaine and Liam have used their pain to harness support for a new law, and we are pleased to have campaigned alongside them with the Suzy Lamplugh Trust and help push this new law through Parliament.”
The existing database is already used voluntarily by some local authorities, but only 74% of councils in England are using it.
From today (27 April 2023), use of the database will be compulsory for every driver licence application and the Department for Transport will monitor its use closely. Councils that fail to do the necessary checks could face legal action.
Hosted by the National Anti-Fraud Network, the system records all instances where taxi and PHV driver licences have been refused, suspended, or revoked on either safeguarding or road safety grounds. Improving information-sharing between licensing authorities prevents drivers who could do harm from getting a licence elsewhere without being challenged.
