Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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202. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if there are laws or regulations regarding the use of horses and sulkies on public roads; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12256/15]

Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael)
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 Horse riders and drivers of horse-drawn vehicles are required to obey the rules of the road, as is the case for all road traffic.

Following concerns raised about unauthorised sulky racing on public roads in particular, I am proposing to address a gap that currently exists in the law regarding racing of horse drawn vehicles in the Road Traffic Bill 2015.

As the law stands, it is an offence to organise an unlicensed race on a public road. However, it is not at present illegal to participate in such a race and many such races do not have a formal organiser.

Under the new proposals, it will be an offence to participate in an unauthorised race. This will apply to any kind of vehicle, including horse drawn vehicles. Such races will in future be permitted only subject to approval by the relevant local authority, in consultation with An Garda Síochána. It will be made an offence to participate in such an event where it has not received prior approval of the Local Authority. 

Last month, the Government approved the General Scheme of the Road Traffic Bill 2015. This Bill has since been sent to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel for formal drafting, and to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications for pre-legislative scrutiny. It is my intention that the Bill be enacted by the end of the year.