Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is fortunate because she is from Waterford, where there are many fine beaches, just as we have in Wexford. We are coming into the summer season. Many more people are availing of our beaches and swimming is becoming more popular year round. However, the problem continues to arise around jet skis and small motorised vehicles. I am aware that legislation is in place that will allow local authorities to put by-laws in place. Those by-laws are supposed to be enforced, but one of the difficulties is around the question of enforcement. At the moment, even though there are by-laws regulating where jet skis can go – and they should not be going into bathing areas – there is no requirement on the owner of a jet ski to register that ownership.

There are now jet skis that can travel at up to 100 km/h in some cases and have 1,000 cc engines. Anybody can go and buy them. There are no requirements in terms of training, insurance or registration. Think about a vehicle that powerful in comparison with, say, a motor vehicle. What happens if there is an accident? What happens if one of those jet skis collides with a swimmer? This is a fear in many of our coastal communities. What are the insurance implications? Who is responsible?

The Minister of State will be aware that there was a joint appeal last year by a number of bodies, including Waterways Ireland, the Coast Guard and Water Safety Ireland, around the responsible use of jet skis. However, we as a country are an outlier in terms of registration of these small motor vehicles. We need to look at treating jet skis essentially in the same way as we treat cars, with the same registration requirements. That way, if an incident occurs, somebody can be held to account.

We do not want to stop people from using jet skis. Encouraging water sports is important, but people should do them responsibly. However, at the moment, we are allowing unlicensed, uninsured and untrained people out on these very powerful vehicles. When one talks to the Garda and the Coast Guard, the Coast Guard does not want to be spending its time chasing errant jet skiers and the Garda is not often in a position to be able to do it. It may be that at some stage in the future we need to consider the idea of water police for some of our busiest beaches, who could be shared around the country, to be able to monitor situations where jet skiers and swimmers are close to each other.

It is an area that is coming up as a matter of concern, not just in Wexford. I have been chatting to councillors and other representatives around the country and there is a real concern that this area is not sufficiently regulated. As the Minister of State knows, there is no point in putting by-laws in place if they cannot be enforced and if those who breach the by-laws cannot be caught and then held accountable. I would ask that we look at the model again and go beyond the by-laws. I ask that we look at treating jet skis in the same way as we treat motor vehicles and put in place requirements around registration, insurance and some level of training in the interests of all water users.