Cecilia Keaveney (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister for the response. I draw his attention to the fact that I walked for two miles recently and kept an account of the number of bikes which passed and out of the 50 bicycles which passed me, 30 had no front or back light. There were 19 prosecutions for this offence last year. I walked past St. Stephen's Green shopping centre where there is a railing full of bicycles and eight out of ten had no front or back lights. I am not necessarily blaming the cyclists, but it is one thing to have cyclist education and another to have compulsory lighting on bicycles. I would like to see our strategy coming from both sides and that manufacturers and cyclists would be prompted to use lights. It is one thing to buy a bicycle with no light, but another matter entirely to buy one with a light which one does not use. Technology must have advanced sufficiently to overcome the reality of what is currently outside the door.