Regina Doherty (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach. I think my reaction to what Senator McGahon has said probably says a lot about how we all feel. I had not heard that story. I am shocked, but, in another way, not shocked at all. My husband is a cyclist and cycles to and from work, from where we live into town, which is a decent journey.He has a camera on both the front and back of his bike simply because it is not safe and he needs the evidence to be able to go to the gardaí should something actually happen to him. It happens at least once per month. The problem is that the gardaí are very helpful insofar as that they will take the case, but cases are never brought forward because there are insufficient laws in this country for how motorists are dealt with in respect of near misses or disrespect for other road users. I am always mindful of how we treat each other on the road. People in cars sometimes think that what happens outside of the car is not anything to do with them. Yet, I am really conscious that people in cars treat children on bikes much differently than they do adults, and enormously differently from how the treat people in Lycra on bikes on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Until we have a serious conversation about how we respect each other and about the size and differences in the vehicles we use, be they buses, cars or bicycles, and pedestrians, we will continuously have issues like the one raised by Senator McGahon this morning. If what he said is true, however, it brings having an accident to whole different level or perhaps it is just that people do not have regard for the size of their vehicles. I will certainly try to organise a debate after Christmas. I am genuinely shocked by what the Senator raised this morning.

Senators Dolan and McGreehan spoke about the very welcome expansion of the eligibility for BreastCheck so that women from the ages of 45 to 74 will now be routinely checked.