Ms June Tinsley:

That was from me. The Deputy is correct. We need to learn from best practice and from other jurisdictions where these e-scooters have been operational for a longer time than they have been here. To add to the point regarding insurance, one consideration would be to make sure that where there is an operator of a shared ownership scheme similar to the Dublinbikes scheme, any person joining that scheme would have to undergo some rider training provided by the provider so the person would be aware of the needs of both pedestrians and individuals with mobility issues. It is imperative they are conscious of that. Appropriate training should be provided by those providers.

As regards the speed limit, this was considered by multiple other countries and they have reduced their speed limits to about 20 km. It has already been reviewed in other countries. The rationale for 12 km was to instil an element of best practice and to be mindful of the vulnerability of the rider if he or she is going at top speed and is not wearing a helmet and so forth, as well as the pedestrians we are very concerned about. If it is operational on footpaths, that obviously increases the risk of collision. Reducing the speed reduces the risk.