Dáil debates

Thursday, 23 September 2021

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions

 

12:20 pm

Photo of Leo VaradkarLeo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Currently, e-scooters are not covered by the law here in Ireland. In order to deal with this, Government intends to legislate for e-scooters and e-bikes in accordance with the commitment in the programme for Government. Department of Transport officials have now drafted the necessary changes to primary legislation as part of the forthcoming road traffic (miscellaneous provisions) Bill 2021. This will provide the basis for regulating what will be described as powered personal transporters, PPTs, including e-scooters. The general scheme of the Bill has completed pre-legislative scrutiny and will go to the Government shortly with a request for permission to publish, before proceeding to the House of the Oireachtas.

When the forthcoming Bill is enacted, it will give the Minister the powers to make regulations for the use of these vehicles and other PPTs. Once this new category of transport has been defined, the vehicles will be incorporated into the existing legal framework, which includes a range of powers and offences. It will permit the Minister for Transport to regulate the use or misuse and the standards of different types of PPTs through the introduction of regulations. Furthermore, the existing powers of An Garda Síochána in road traffic legislation concerning offences relating to careless and dangerous driving, driving under the influence of intoxicants or driving an unroadworthy vehicle can the be extended to these personal powered transporters where required.

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