Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats)
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237. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport his plans to make electric scooters and e-bikes liable for road tax in order to enhance ownership and traceability of e-vehicles that will use public roads; and if he has consulted with the Revenue Commissioners in this regard. [38971/22]

Hildegarde Naughton (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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The Programme for Government committed us to legislating for e-scooters and e-bikes and accordingly the Road Traffic and Roads Bill, which recently completed committee stage, will clarify the legal position of these vehicles in the Road Traffic Acts.

Under the Road Traffic Acts as they presently stand, electric scooters, or e-scooters, are defined as mechanically propelled vehicles and valid registration, licence, tax and insurance are required. The Road Traffic and Roads Bill will remove e-scooters from this category and classify them instead as 'powered personal transporters'. Only vehicles which are type-approved can be registered and accordingly it is not intended that powered personal transporters will require registration. My officials will consider potential mechanisms with a view to facilitating the enforcement of road traffic law for e-scooters in the regulations for their use, which will be subsequent to the Bill.

The Deputy may wish to note that electric bikes, or e-bikes, are not classed as powered personal transporters and are considered separately in the Bill. Low-powered models, which are those which require manual input from the cyclist and are capable of achieving speeds of up to 25 km/h, will continue to be treated analogously to manual pedal cycles and registration will not be required. However, higher-powered models, which can be type-approved, will be classed as mechanically propelled vehicles and vehicle owners will therefore have to register their vehicle. The upcoming change of status for this type of vehicle was notified to the Office of the Revenue Commissioners earlier this year and my officials have been working closely with that Office to facilitate the change.