Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the speakers. I apologise as I had to leave for a time and I hope I do not repeat the questions. I read the opening statements and I recognised the issues raised as I was in Brussels for a while. Brussels is one of the examples of how not to do e-scooters because the system there means e-scooters are just dumped on the road and people are paid in the gig economy to bring them in and charge them in their houses. Trying to navigate the streets of Strasbourg or Brussels is a complete nightmare if people are visually impaired. It is important we get this right and learn from the mistakes of other countries which are now trying retrospectively to regulate e-scooter use.

My questions for the witnesses are around the insurance issue in particular. I listened to Mr. Fulham, who pointed out that these are battery-operated and they are not the same as a bicycle. Are there examples where this has been introduced in other jurisdictions and has worked? Some e-scooters are very powerful and some have small batteries. Could we have a graded system so that if they go over a certain speed, people would fall foul of having to get car insurance? Are there good examples of best practice in terms of insurance in other European countries?

It is the same with regard to sound. Will somebody be enforcing that or would that have to be done at an EU level because it is the Single Market and has to be enforced? While this might be dealt with in national legislation, the products might be produced within the Single Market. Is that going to prevent us introducing those regulations?