Mary Fitzpatrick (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Go raibh maith agat, a Aire. It is indeed welcome, not just to this House, but to communities and families across the city and, indeed, the country to know that this Government has enacted new laws giving new powers to An Garda Síochána to tackle the issue and seize and destroy vehicles that are being used in an antisocial manner.

It is really important that dangerous driving has become an offence everywhere, not just in public places, and that gardaí have increased powers of seizure. This is a significant step forward to tackle the antisocial use of scramblers. The power to prohibit or restrict the use of certain types of vehicles in particular places is also very welcome.

I want commend the Minister of State on the work he is doing to improve road safety for all users of our roads. The fact that these amendments now give powers to gardaí to seize scramblers and take direct and positive action is welcomed by my community and other communities across the country. I would appreciate if the Minister would update the House on the timeline for the introduction of the regulations under section 11 (b).