I noted the Taoiseach's recent comments on e-scooters. I have raised this with him on a number of occasions. I cycle to Leinster House when I can, and I am a big supporter of the active travel agenda. However, I think there is now an emergency with regard to e-scooters that we need to take a very clear view on. We have heard the comments from the national children's health authority and Dr. Irwin Gill about the prevalence of head injuries among those aged under 16 because of the lack of use of helmets on those vehicles. Research from Vienna shows us that head injury rates halve when helmets are made mandatory for users of e-scooters. There are still a number of minors using e-scooters on our roads and streets. That is why we have to go further than just helmet requirements, and also look at registration and insurance requirements. This is to make sure that, first, e-scooter users are held accountable for their behaviour, but also that e-scooters are not being used for criminal purposes, as they are in many places around the country as drug gangs’ supply lines. They are used by vulnerable minors to deliver illegal products for the gangs. This is not something new. It is done in Denmark, Germany and Italy. We need to get ahead of the curve and make sure the regulation matches the technology.

Sentiment score: -0.06