Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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102. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he plans to make the wearing of protective clothing mandatory for cyclists and road users of powered personal transporters. [34410/21]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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103. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if cyclists and road users of powered personal transporters will be liable for road tax. [34411/21]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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104. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if consideration has been given to insurance for cyclists and road users of powered personal transporters; and if this will be made compulsory. [34412/21]

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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106. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if consideration has been given to ensuring bicycles and powered personal transporters have a built in sounder to aid road safety for users of these vehicles and pedestrians. [34414/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 102, 103, 104 and 106 together.

My intention is to legislate for e-scooters, in accordance with the Programme for Government. Department officials are currently working on drafting the necessary changes to primary legislation as part of the forthcoming Road Traffic Bill.

To permit the safe use of e-scooters on public roads, it is intended to introduce a new category of vehicle - powered personal transporters. Once the new category has been defined, these vehicles can be incorporated into the existing legislative framework, where a range of powers and offences already exist. This will permit regulation for the use of and standards for different types of powered personal transporters, including technical specifications such warning and and safety requirements. As these vehicles will not be classed as mechanically propelled vehicles, it is not currently intended that they be subject to road tax or that insurance will be mandatory, although users may take out private insurance and will be strongly encouraged to do so. However, it should be noted that these matters have not yet been finalised.

In addition, the existing powers of An Garda Síochána in road traffic legislation concerning offences such as careless or dangerous driving, driving under the influence of an intoxicant or driving an unroadworthy vehicle, can be extended to users of powered personal transporters where required.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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105. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the increase in the use of bicycles known as fat bikes; and if he plans to regulate their usage on public roads and pathways. [34413/21]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The Road Traffic Act 1961, defines a "pedal bicycle" as a "bicycle which is intended or adapted for propulsion solely by the physical exertions of a person or persons seated thereon".

Bicycles with oversized tyres, also known as 'fat bikes', are considered to be a type of pedal cycle and their use is therefore already legislated for under the current road traffic legislative framework.