Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions Dail Éireann — 2026-02-05 ============================================================ Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow I get blamed for everything sometimes but I am certainly not behind that proposal nor is there one. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue because road safety is an extraordinarily important issue. Our road safety statistics in this country are going in the wrong direction. We all think of Grace Lynch. We are pleased and proud in this House that the new regulation on scramblers will be named in her name, in her honour and in her memory. I think of her family this morning. The action we have taken regarding scramblers is important, proportionate and clear. Scramblers do not belong on public roads or in public spaces and there needs to be no ambiguity about that. Most people agree that we need to do more regarding e-scooters, most particularly in relation to our children. Somebody under the age of 16 is already not permitted to be on an e-scooter. However, talking to doctors, as we all do, they say that e-scooter accidents are the number one cause of induced brain trauma in children in Ireland. It is horrifying. Yes, it is illegal but when I talk to gardaí, the current structure is a bit cumbersome. We need to make it easier for An Garda Síochána to enforce the regulations and give gardaí the power of seizure. I think they have to issue summonses at the moment, which is too complex. The Minister for Transport and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, are coming back to Government on that. As the Deputy very clearly said, we need a conversation about how different users share the road. We need to do a hell of a lot more about that and education on road safety more generally. Of course, wearing a helmet is an important and safe thing to do - we all agree about that - but there are no plans to change the law to make that mandatory. That would be a really bad use of Garda time and the immediate answer to everything does not have to be a new law. I saw some reporting of the comments yesterday and found myself largely in agreement with many of the points being made by Cycling Ireland, which is why I was rather bemused by some of the reportage this morning but such is life. We can and should differentiate. The letter "e" is a bit of a giveaway. If something is motorised and electric and can do great speeds, that is one thing that needs to be looked at but with regard to traditional pushbikes, we should use education, engagement, enforcement of existing laws and continuing to make sure we invest in safe infrastructure. That is the Government position. The concerns articulated by Cycling Ireland reflect a broader evidence base on existing enforcement gaps. It makes the point about the risk of counterproductive regulation. At a time we are about simplification, I do not see the need for new legislation in this space. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-05/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:36+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-02-05