As we talk about road safety, we do so with the backdrop of the tragic, avoidable death of teenager Grace Lynch in Finglas on Sunday, 25 January. She was a teenager who left her house and was struck by a scrambler on her home estate - a young life snatched away in its prime. I extend my deepest sympathies to her family and friends during this most difficult time for them. I welcome news that new laws are being introduced to implement the total ban on scramblers in public spaces and to strengthen existing laws for gardaí. However, more could and should have been done, and done sooner. I firmly believe that if scramblers were being used in more affluent areas across the State, a swift and robust response would have followed, but working class communities, as usual, were abandoned. I recently asked the Minister a parliamentary question. He said he was satisfied with the existing legislation dealing with the misuse of scramblers. In an answer provided to me on 15 January 2026, the Minister of State stated, "Both I and my Department are satisfied with the current regulations in place." I would like to know what has changed since then. This is not a new issue. The scourge of scrambler bikes have plagued residents of working class estates for years. My party has been consistently looking for the Government to act. I have spoken here many times over the past decade on the danger of these vehicles. Tragically, the focus on this matter has come too late for Grace and her family. My colleague sitting next to me, Deputy Dessie Ellis, had previously introduced a Bill in 2012. Sinn Féin brought forward Bills in 2015, 2017 and 2021 that aimed to give An Garda Síochána more powers to stop individuals from using scramblers, but these Bills were blocked by the Government. In 2019, while debating legislation on scramblers, I said that I did not believe the legislation would address the issue, that it was a significant issue in Limerick and other places, and that these bikes were a "danger to children and result in intimidation for many residents [who] cannot live safely in their own homes." However, in Limerick, as Deputy Pa Daly pointed out in October 2023, when An Garda Síochána seized 44 scramblers and other off-road vehicles and five people were arrested over two days, the superintendent said, "We are acutely aware of the problem ourselves and can correlate the use of scramblers and e-scooters to criminal activities with [several] detections in the sale and supply of drugs in recent months." My time is short. While the Minister of State looks at dealing with scramblers, this tragic death must compel the Government to ensure that these scramblers are taken off public roads and spaces for good, and that it also seizes this opportunity to address the safety issues concerning horses in urban areas and that e-scooters being driven illegally and not complying with road regulations are seized as well.

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