Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the officials for coming in. I have been tackling this ongoing problem for many years. The Minister originally said he was going to try to ban these vehicles outright. Now he is basically telling us that motorised rickshaws can be used for personal use and he will regulate non-motorised rickshaws. A number of questions arise in that context, for example, relating to insurance and tax issues. In the case of motorised rickshaws that are used for personal use, I imagine that insurance and tax will kick in. Where does that leave us in the case of non-motorised rickshaws? One is not required to get tax, insurance or a licence plate for a bicycle. I expect that there will have to be some way of identifying or checking non-motorised rickshaws. Is it intended that some kind of identification, like a licence plate, will be required for non-motorised rickshaws?

Where are we on the issue of an NCT-type test in respect of these vehicles? I am very curious about how this will be done. An ordinary driving licence covers motorised vehicles but it does not cover non-motorised vehicles like those the Minister is proposing to legislate for. Is it proposed that a licence will be needed for non-motorised vehicles? I am curious about how that will work. Will there be rules and regulations on overcrowding? How will this be judged? Some of these rickshaws carry two, three or four people. Many of them are built for no more than two people. One often sees three or four people in a rickshaw. Gangs of people jump into them. How will that be addressed? Will we do so by introducing a specific requirement for it to be indicated clearly on each vehicle that it is a two-seater or a three-seater? That definition needs to be very clear for us.

As I have said, the type of licence is a big issue. It will sometimes be difficult to figure out whether a vehicle is motorised. Will we have a specific definition to take account of whether it has an engine or other form of mechanical propulsion apart from pedal power? I imagine that someone might argue that he or she has removed the electrical components of his or her vehicle so that it can run on pedal power. Will there be a grey area here that there will be a bit of argument about? All of this will need to be monitored. We are struggling to monitor other industries. What form of inspection will we have? Will we have inspectors? It seems to me that the Garda will end up looking after this. I cannot see us putting people in place to deal specifically with this activity. Clear guidelines will be needed to govern how it is tackled. I am curious. Will some sort of memorandum be given to the Garda? If certain rules will have to be followed, they will need to be outlined clearly.

An examination of this sector is long overdue. In light of the way we have introduced licences into the taxi industry, we should have a ceiling on the numbers of rickshaws. We should not just rubber-stamp applications for motorised or non-motorised rickshaws. If a non-motorised rickshaw is being used commercially and people are being charged, we should be able to set down clear rules and regulations in that regard. A similar point can be made about the use of motorised rickshaws for personal use. I am a bit worried about this whole issue. The next thing we will tackle is the motorised scooters that are being used now. That is the next thing on the agenda. When the new system for rickshaws comes in, it will have implications for motorised scooters. We need to watch that space as well.