Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In 2017 Sinn Féin moved its first Bill on quads and scramblers to tackle the scourge of the illegal use of these vehicles which has plagued our communities for years. In 2018 our Bill was debated in the Dáil and was voted down by the Government and Fianna Fáil. Since then, a number of deaths and many injuries have been caused by these vehicles. I have repeatedly raised this issue in the Dáil and on safety forums and policing committees over many years.

A working group was set up by the then Department of Justice and Equality to consider a cross-agency approach to this issue but it has scarcely met over the years. So far, the working group has not put forward any realistic solutions, particularly with regard to the use of such vehicles in parks and on green areas in housing estates. The Government is relying on the use of by-laws in parks to stop such activity, but by-laws are not the solution to this problem. Proper legislation is required to prohibit this sort of activity in these public spaces. We have looked closely at the concerns raised by the Government and others with regard to tackling this issue. We have taken them into consideration and put forward solutions. The legislation we will publish later this week will adequately address these concerns. However, there is nothing to stop the Government from implementing some practical solutions now that do not require legislation.

It is important that gardaí are able to enforce existing road traffic legislation. One of the most effective initiatives in my constituency of Dublin North-West was a pilot scheme that operated in Finglas. A garda who had received specialised motorcycle training was able within a two-month period to pursue and seize 40 motorcycles and scramblers being used illegally. Unfortunately, this highly successful initiative has now ceased, but such a scheme should become standard across all Garda divisions. Gardaí should be properly trained and equipped with specialised motorcycles to pursue and seize scramblers when being used illegally.

The initiative to which I referred had a noticeable effect in Dublin North-West, with a welcome reduction in the antisocial activity associated with the illegal use of such vehicles. However, since the initiative was stopped, there has been an increase in the presence of these vehicles and a corresponding increase in antisocial activity. This is amplified by the current policy of the Garda not to pursue people driving the vehicles. That policy needs to be reversed and reintroducing the Finglas initiative is one way of doing so.

I conclude by appealing to parents not to buy quad or scrambler bikes for their children this Christmas and to consider the effects the illegal use of such vehicles has on their neighbours and their community, as well as the dangers posed to young people in riding them, as often happens, without any safety equipment.

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