Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-05
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Simon Harris (FG), Wicklow

I certainly will. I know Ciarán Cannon well from his past posting in the House. I know him to be a very good and reasonable person and a good, evidence-based advocate. He was in this House and he is in his new role. If there was ever an issue that we should not be partisan on, and it is not in our discussion, it is road safety. We all want to see a reduction in deaths and injuries. I think we are all alarmed - I am certainly alarmed - at the dangers we see on our roads. There are more distractions than ever before in cars. Some distractions are illegal and should not be happening while others just seem to happen. The environment, in general, is more distracting. There are more road users and a greater volume of vehicles. There has also been an increasing in cycling, which is a good thing that we want to continue to support, but driver and cyclist education is also important.
I take the Deputy's point on e-scooters that there are laws and regulations there. I remain to be convinced that there is not more to be done on e-scooters. I just think there is. I am deeply concerned about this. The Deputy's comment on enforcement is definitely right. We also need to listen to An Garda Síochána to make sure that what we put in place is enforceable and practical. This is an important point, but I am happy to have further engagement with Cycling Ireland on this, and the Government will continue to engage closely.

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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