Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is very welcome to the House. I have a few points that it would be remiss of me not to mention. We spoke about the N4 upgrade last year and I will highlight it again. We got additional funding to bring the project to a certain stage but more funding is required in 2023 to bring it to the stage where it has full planning permission. This is the only region in the country that is not fully connected by a dual carriageway.

There has been massive investment in cycling. I was involved in the development of the Royal Canal greenway in 2012 or 2013 when our county tourism committee, in conjunction with Longford County Council, started the project to link Longford town with Cloondara at the end of the Royal Canal. In conjunction with other local authorities, we worked on a route towards Maynooth, which is now open. Hopefully within the next 12 to 18 months, the route will link all the way into Spencer Dock in Dublin. If we are looking at investment to extend greenways, we need to look at linking the Royal Canal with the greenway in Westport. That is an opportunity across the Shannon. North of Lanesborough, where the power station is, there is a Bord na Móna bridge that could be used to cross the Shannon into Slieve Bawn and connect with Achill Island. It would be a fantastic asset to be able to go from Spencer Dock, in Dublin, to Achill Island on the west coast.

Are local authorities doing enough in the area of electric vehicles? Are there sufficient EV charging points in all counties? I do not believe there are. People may be put off purchasing an electric car because there are not sufficient charging points around the country.

I have a particular issue with PPTs. We have seen the danger with people using e-scooters on roads, particularly in Dublin city when travelling to the south side. The Bill states that an e-scooter user must be aged over 16 years of age. Unless I have missed something, the Bill does not require people to wear a helmet while using an e-scooter. Will the Minister clarify this? I have seen children of 11 and 12 years of age going to school on e-scooters. There could be two or three of them travelling on one of them. They are a danger to themselves and to motorists. I welcome the fact that users will have to be over 16 years. Will the Minister clarify whether they will have to wear a helmet?