Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I know my question related to reviewing and strengthening the by-laws but I realised when I looked at the matter that there are not many regulations in place in respect of this industry. Like the Minister, I saw the Dublin Carriage Acts 1853 to 1855, inclusive, leading to the Dublin Carriage Bye-Laws 1946 and then a Road Traffic Act in 1961, which states that "regulations [may be made] in relation to the use of vehicles in public places". Then, in 2012, the Road Safety Authority amended the definition of "vehicles" to include animal-drawn vehicles. Then we come to the Road Traffic Act 2016, which states that the National Transport Authority, NTA, may make regulations under the Taxi Regulation Act 2013 in respect of horse-propelled hackney carriages. The Minister mentioned section 31, but that has not yet commenced. From what I have been reading, there appears to be a big gap here and it comes from concerns over animal welfare. I know there are owners who look after their horses very well, but there is no doubt but that there are concerns. Could the Minister consider an amendment to cover this issue as part of his deliberations regarding legislation on rickshaws?

See this speech in context