Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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263. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality if she will consider publishing media advertisements in the run-up to Christmas regarding the dangers of illegal scrambler use; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43614/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I can assure the Deputy that I view the illegal use of scramblers, as well as mopeds and quad bikes, as a very serious matter, especially over the Christmas period. Indeed, this matter was discussed among other issues at a recent meeting which I attended with the Taoiseach, Ministers of State James Browne and Hildegarde Naughton, and Deputy Paul McAuliffe.

The Deputy may already be aware of an ongoing collaboration between An Garda Síochána and the Road Safety Authority. This collaboration has resulted in an awareness campaign being rolled out in the lead up to Christmas, with the campaign ads asking parents not to buy scramblers or quad-bikes as presents for their children and highlighting the dangers involved with these vehicles.

An Garda Síochána has advised my Department that Gardaí respond to all reports of anti-social behaviour and conduct operations on an ongoing basis to target the anti-social activities of persons using scramblers, mopeds and quads in parks and greens, and have also highlighted the dangers associated with the use of these vehicles through various media and social media platforms.

An Garda Síochána tackles this behaviour from a number of fronts, with targeted enforcement in areas with high activity, working with petrol stations to prohibit the sale of fuel to persons who are using these vehicles, as well as community outreach. An Garda Síochána are committed to carrying out enforcement with increased visibility in areas which are most affected by the issue, and this will continue.

For example, in the Finglas area last year on Christmas morning, a major Garda operation was put in place, involving members attached to Regular Policing Units, District Detective Units, Specialist Units and Divisional and Regional Traffic. The outcome of this operation resulted in 11 motorbikes and two stolen cars being seized. Five people were arrested for offences relating to the Road Traffic Act, Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act and the Criminal Justice (Theft & Fraud Offences) Act. A similar operation is planned for Christmas morning 2020.