Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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73. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will consider undertaking a review of the current regulatory regime in place for escooters; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63600/25]

Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Minister of State consider undertaking a review of the regulatory regime for e-scooters? He will be aware of the Road Safety Authority survey earlier this year which showed nearly a quarter of regular e-scooter users have been involved in an accident and one third have been involved in a near miss. We know the number of accidents involving e-scooters on our roads is increasing and that 416 e-scooters had been seized by An Garda Síochána as of 6 October this year. We have no regulatory regime in place for the users of e-scooters and I am keen to see action on that.

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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As Minister of State with responsibility for international and road transport, logistics, rail and ports, I wish to begin by noting that e-scooter users, like cyclists and pedestrians, are vulnerable road users. Their safety is of paramount importance when regulating for safer roads in Ireland. To that end, regulations providing for and governing the safe and legal use of e-scooters on Irish roads were introduced in 2024. The ongoing development of segregated road space is also vital to improving safety for this group of users.

The 2024 regulations cover a wide range of requirements, both usage and technical, including for speed, weight, capacity and power, as well as prohibitions on, among other things, carrying more than one person, the carriage of goods and the use on footpaths. While there is no prohibition on the sale or possession of e-scooters which exceed the statutory parameters, any e-scooter that falls outside of these regulations remains illegal to use on public roads or in public places.

The full list of regulations can be found on the gov.ie website. If an e-scooter or user is in breach of the regulations, An Garda Síochána may seize the e-scooter and may also impose a fixed-charge notice to the value of €50. In addition, e-scooter users, as for cyclists and e-cyclists, must obey the rules of the road. The operation of the legislation through enforcement is, as for all road traffic law, under the remit of An Garda Síochána. My officials meet regularly with An Garda Síochána to discuss matters related to road traffic safety. As with any legislation, I will consider feedback on its operation from An Garda Síochána and other stakeholders and I will act if it is clear that road safety improvements can be made.

Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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The Minister of State will be aware of recent reports of e-scooters being sold openly in Irish shops which do not meet those safety requirements and are, therefore, illegal to use on Irish roads. My fear is we are becoming an outlier in western Europe. In France and Germany, e-scooters and, therefore, the users need to be insured. In Italy, e-scooters need to have a licence plate and be insured and registered. There is a requirement on users to practice safe use of e-scooters.

One interesting aspect of the German model is e-scooters have to come with an operating permit and, to get the permit, the e-scooter must comply with requirements including having a maximum speed of 20 km/h. That enables its sale on the German market.

The time has come to not just look at general regulations. These are different vehicles from push bikes and separate from the use of infrastructure by pedestrians. They are mechanically propelled and that has to be taken into account in the regulations. There is a need for an operator permit model.

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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I share the Deputy's concerns. The growing number of incidents, accidents and near misses is becoming an issue. As the Minister of State responsible for road safety, I will be reviewing this. I say to him and take this opportunity to say to parents as well that if they are thinking about buying an e-scooter, not to buy one for a child under 16 years of age, please. Many other technical requirements are needed. It is important, especially when you consider the devastation caused by an accident. We have only to look at what happened last weekend in Louth. I sympathise with all the families there. To have such a devastating incident and collision and to see five lives just disappear is profoundly sad for all the families and communities. An e-scooter is a vehicle and a machine. It is important we make sure people are safe on them.

Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State for his reply. The other aspect of this I am worried about is that anecdotal evidence from my constituency and around the country suggests that e-scooters are being used in many cases to facilitate antisocial behaviour, and because they do not have to be registered to an owner, there is no accountability regarding the vehicle. There are concerns about visibility for other road users. As the Minister of State said, there are also concerns about footpaths being used to facilitate e-scooters, all of which is illegal. The introduction of a regime with registration or insurance requirements would make sure the user would have accountability.

Any regulatory regime would have to acknowledge that e-scooters create convenience for a lot of road users and that they are part of our overall active travel approach. However, a regulatory regime must strike a balance between the need for convenience and the need for safety, not only of e-scooter users but of other road users as well. I would love to work with the Minister of State and other Ministers to bring forward a regulatory regime that would bring that accountability to the use of e-scooters while maintaining their safe use for convenience.

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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I thank the Deputy for his support and offer because working together is how we will improve safety. I will be talking to my officials about the evidence that has come back since the regulations were brought in in 2024 to see whether patterns have been seen. However, I believe there is a huge lack of understanding of what an e-scooter can do, the power it has and the speed it can go at. We have the regulations and there is an enforcement issue there. I see on the roads people on these scooters without a high-visibility vest, helmet or protection and sometimes without lights. I ask how these people are on the roads and not being taken in. It is an issue. It is a growing problem and I will be looking at it. Road safety and the prevention of accidents and near misses is important. We have to make the road safe for everyone.