Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not take issue with any of the points raised by Deputy Shortall. I acknowledge her interest in this matter. My Department will take ownership of this issue by convening the local agencies and stakeholders concerned. The problem has been that this issue has been passed around the various agencies and authorities. My Department has taken responsibility and leadership by convening a multi-agency group. We will continue to do that until this issue is resolved.

Deputy Shortall will also be aware that An Garda Síochána signalled its commitment to increasing the overall strength of the roads policing unit with the assignment of 150 additional gardaí to roads policing this year. It is proposed to continue to increase the overall strength of the roads policing unit until the full operational strength is restored. Road safety is the shared responsibility of all road users, not just An Garda Síochána, the Road Safety Authority and other State bodies. I urge anyone affected by or with information about these types of anti-social behaviour to contact their local Garda station. The phone number for the Garda confidential line is 1800 666 111. It is a monitored freefone line which allows members of the public to contact An Garda Síochána with information of a confidential nature. Crimestoppers, which operates in the Deputy's constituency, can be contacted on 1800 250 025. I acknowledge the commitment of all of the agencies involved in the genuine collaborative engagement being nurtured with local communities in seeking viable long-lasting solutions.

While the Deputy complains, I would be happy to hear her proposals for solutions along with mine because I firmly believe that this is the key to resolving the public safety concerns associated with the misuse of scramblers and quad bikes. It is easy to complain from the Opposition benches. In fact the Deputy has made a career of that.

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