John Brassil (Kerry, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Like my colleagues, I very much support the sentiment behind this Bill. As someone who lives in a seaside resort, I am aware the inappropriate use of quad bikes and scramblers is a constant danger. The very tragic situation that occurred this summer was an accident that was always going to happen. If something is not done about this issue, I am afraid it will happen again.

I welcome the spirit of this Bill. I listened with interest to the Minister's contribution. He has a good understanding of the problem but, unfortunately, it will be difficult to find a solution to it.

I very much support the call by my colleague, Deputy Troy, for the withdrawal of the Bill for a number of months to enable the Minister's officials come up with a solution that is workable. The definition around public place and the possible unintended consequences that would have in other areas of road traffic safety is worrying.

I fear the Bill, as it stands, is unworkable, but there has to be a solution. In Kerry County Council we introduced by-laws that were helpful and gave the council some control over the issue, but at the end of the day they still left the Garda more or less powerless to deal with inappropriate use of quad bikes and scramblers. This is an opportunity to deal with the issue and I hope the Minister will come back and give us a commitment that he will put a working group together with officials from his Department and the Department of Justice and Equality to find a workable solution to a problem that everyone in this House wants to tackle. I do not doubt Deputy Dessie Ellis's genuine concern to deal with it, but there is no point in pursuing a course of action that will not result in the effective control of this scourge on our society. I support the call of my colleague, Deputy Robert Troy, that we take a further look at this issue and withdraw the legislation for a period and come back with something concrete within a very specific timeframe of two months.

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