Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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197. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the status of legislation regularising e-scooters on roads. [21321/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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Electric scooters are a type of powered personal transporter (PPT). PPTs are classed as mechanically propelled vehicles, the use of which requires a valid licence, tax and appropriate insurance in accordance with Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1961. As PPTs do not fall under any existing vehicle category, it is not currently possible to tax and insure them and there is no licence category for them. Therefore they may not be used on public roads and in public places. However, their use is permitted on private land with the permission of the landowner.

I intend to legislate for the regulation of e-scooters in accordance with the Programme for Government. This will involve identifying and developing appropriate amendments to primary road traffic legislation across a range of areas, which will be complex and must also be done in a way that does not undermine the overall framework of road traffic law or road safety in general.

The Government's current legislative priorities are the necessary measures essential to manage the ongoing COVID-19 emergency and to address the economic and social consequences of the pandemic. Consequently, it is not possible to provide a detailed timeframe for legislation at this time.