I join Deputy Geoghegan in raising these concerns. The question has to be asked at this stage as to what it will take for the Government to respond to what is a very real crisis among the communities I represent and many other communities across this country. This is literally a life-or-death issue, or, many times, a fate almost as bad as death in terms of the horrendous acquired brain injuries that impact every facet of a young person’s life. It is simply devastating to think that there are children as young as six, seven and eight, who are the same age as my own, going around on scooters and being facilitated in having access to them. We hear all the comments about An Garda Síochána needing to be resourced and equipped but the time has come for radical action. This falls to the Minister for justice, but also to the Minister for Transport. We need a registration system and drone detection technology, which has been rolled out in other cities. We must make sure we have a specialised Garda unit that will effectively target children and those underage. We also need to make sure that we tackle the retailers illegally selling scooters capable of operating above the speed limit.

Sentiment score: -0.04

I find the reply we have been given deeply upsetting. This is not directed towards the Minister of State, but to the authors, the Department officials and the senior Ministers. It reflects no recognition of the crisis out there. The reality is that we can have all the powers we want in the world but if there is no enforcement, there is no point in having those powers. This is what is happening in our communities now. We need to see the Government, as a whole, taking this seriously. The Minister of State said that the Department of Health would be more suitable to get a response from. Come on; we have to do better than that. The reality is that I am not in favour of an outright ban because there are people using these scooters legitimately but we need to go after the many who are not and the retailers.

Sentiment score: -0.24

On the point that An Garda Síochána has full powers, I know from talking to gardaí on the ground locally in Dublin North Central that they are very active in seizing scramblers and I urge them to seize e-scooters as well. The fundamental issue is that challenging a person under 18 has become a bit of a no-go area for many in An Garda Síochána because of the consequences if that child is injured. That is why we need a wholly radical response. This is not just about the injuries although they are to the fore of our minds. It is also about intimidation within communities. People are afraid to walk even on the footpaths because of the speed and impunity with which people travel on e-scooters. We need to change that.

Sentiment score: -0.01