Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for that. The next issue I want to raise is scramblers. I know there is legislation coming through on this but we have seen a development in my area that may also be happening in other towns and cities. Down home something has been happening over the past 12 months which is worrying. When I was growing up, scrambler bikes were used off road. People brought them up hill sides and so on and riding them was a fun, recreational activity. These days, however, one sees scrambler bikes going down river pathways and down city streets, often going against the traffic on one-way streets, driving across green areas and so on. More alarmingly, the drivers of these scramblers are not wearing helmets but are wearing balaclavas. They are doing drug runs. They are drug mules. The wearing of a balaclava is very intentional because the wearer cannot be identified but not wearing a helmet is even more intentional because An Garda Síochána has given direction to all units in the country not to pursue youngsters without helmets riding scramblers. What this means is that these guys are riding down canal banks, across green areas and along footpaths with impunity. They cannot be followed. I have heard down home that the going rate for one of these scramblers is €150 per day.

They bring drugs from Limerick city to south Clare. They dart across various communities and then go back again. We always see them queuing up at local petrol stations to fuel up and change the oil. They take off the balaclavas then of course. Someone needs to scream and shout that this is not good enough. I know there is a balance between the safety of the rider of the motorcycle versus public safety. I would say the safety of the public far outweighs any privilege those drivers have to drive with impunity.