Grooming gangs debate raises fresh questions over taxi and PHV drivers’ roles in historic exploitation cases
- Perry Richardson
- Jun 24
- 2 min read
Questions about the role of taxi and private hire drivers in historic grooming gang cases were raised in the House of Lords this week as peers discussed the Government’s newly established independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation.
During an Urgent Question on the Independent Inquiry into Grooming Gangs, Baroness McIntosh of Pickering highlighted concerns surrounding offenders who had worked as licensed taxi drivers.
Addressing ministers, Baroness McIntosh said: “Many of those convicted under the provisions of the grooming gangs were actually taxi drivers, and yet they are a category of people who have to pass all sorts of checks before they are able to pick up, particularly vulnerable young women.”
The Conservative peer then questioned how those individuals had been able to obtain and retain licences while committing serious offences.
She asked: “How did they escape those checks and how were they allowed to perpetrate these crimes over such a long period?”
The comments refer to findings from a number of high-profile child sexual exploitation investigations over the last two decades, where some offenders were reported to have worked within the taxi and private hire sector. Those cases prompted wider scrutiny of safeguarding practices and the role transport services sometimes played in facilitating access to victims.
Responding for the Government, Lord Hanson of Flint acknowledged the significance of the question but said he did not have a specific answer as to how those failures had occurred.
“It is an important point. I do not know the answer to why that was the case specifically,” Lord Hanson told peers.
He added that ensuring licensed drivers are appropriately vetted remains an important issue and suggested the matter could be examined by the ongoing inquiry.
“We have established, as the noble Baroness knows, the grooming gang inquiry under our noble friend Lady Longfield. That is currently working its way through its work and objectives, and I have no doubt that the type of issue that the noble Baroness has raised will be examined as part of that inquiry,” he said.
The exchange is likely to attract attention within the taxi and private hire industry, where the overwhelming majority of licensed drivers operate professionally and within strict regulatory frameworks. However, the Lords discussion highlights that questions remain over how a small number of offenders in historic cases were able to gain positions of trust and access to vulnerable victims.
