2026-07-09

A lot of us have submitted Topical Issue matters on related issues. I want to focus on the number of children presenting in Temple Street Hospital with head injuries from the use of e-scooters. This is an issue that we have heard the clinicians, in particular, Irwin Gill, neurodisability consultant, speak out on for some time. It is now, however, becoming acute. One of the statistics I find most concerning is that all these child injuries and long-term head injuries have all happened since the legalisation of e-scooters. Before we had e-scooters and a regulatory regime for them in May 2024, kids were not suffering these head injuries. They were not getting access to the e-scooters. It is important to note that all the kids being treated by Irwin Gill and others in Temple Street Hospital are not supposed to be using these e-scooters. If they are in a children’s hospital, they are all necessarily under the age of 16. This is something we need to tackle urgently, even if this includes going to the level of mandatory insurance for e-scooters.

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.

On behalf of the Minister for Transport, I thank the Deputies for raising these important issues. On 1 April, the Road Traffic Control of Certain Vehicles Regulations 2026, known as Grace's law in memory of Grace Lynch, were signed into law. These regulations implement an explicit ban on scrambler use in any public place and strengthen existing provisions and powers of enforcement by An Garda Síochána. Since July 2023, off-road scramblers have been illegal for use on public roads and it has also been illegal to drive them dangerously anywhere, even on private land. An Garda Síochána has full powers to seize a scrambler being driven dangerously in any location, even where gardaí have the reasonable belief that the vehicle will be driven dangerously, and they can enter the curtilage of a dwelling to retrieve a scrambler after the fact. It has also been an offence to sell or otherwise supply a mechanically propelled vehicle, MPV, such as a scrambler, to a minor since 2004. Regarding the question from Deputy Sherlock, the Government introduced a comprehensive suite of regulations in 2024, a list of which is available, to govern the safe use of e-scooters in public places. Key restrictions relate to an age limit of 16 years, speed restrictions of 20 km/h, the prohibition on use on a footpath and the prohibition on carrying passengers or having a seat. E-scooters which do not conform to the e-scooter regulations are illegal for use on Irish roads. The enforcement of all road traffic legislation is a matter for An Garda Síochána. Regarding injuries caused by, or as a result of, the use of e-scooters and e-bikes, the Department of Transport does not retain specific data on these issues. Our colleagues in the Department of Health would be more suitable for a response on this issue.

To be fair, we are way ahead of time, but I am going to let the other Deputies respond first and then let Deputy Rory Hearne in at the end. I call Deputy Geoghegan.

It is not the Minister of State’s fault. He is here to read out the responses he has been given. It is, though, a really pathetic response from the Department of Transport to say it "does not retain specific data on these issues". To be fair to the Minister of State in the Department, Deputy Canney, he has stated publicly what is being done in trying to examine every measure to respond to this issue. In fairness to him, I know how aware he is of the injuries. We need to take decisive action. There are no easy answers. A draconian ban is perhaps not conducive to mobility in this city. However, we need to look urgently at licensing the use of e-scooters because the facts are what the facts are. There are children with head injuries in Temple Street Hospital, and the number has been growing at a significant rate since the regulation of e-scooters in Ireland.

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.

Go raibh míle maith agat. I appreciate having this time. The scourge of scramblers in Dublin North-West has not, unfortunately, let up. The number of scrambler and e-scooter-related accidents is on the rise again. A young garda was injured last week when stopping an e-scooter in Finglas, just a short distance from where poor Grace Lynch lost her life in January after being struck by a scrambler at a pedestrian crossing. Despite Grace’s law, scramblers are still scourging communities in my constituency such as Finglas and Ballymun and in other parts of the city. A resident of Finglas to whom I spoke earlier this week said that when they leave their house, it is completely normal to encounter multiple scramblers travelling at speed, often on one wheel, while weaving between traffic. This is particularly nerve-wracking when this person has their two young children with them. The issue is not confined to the roads and footpaths. Scramblers are used to transport and deal drugs in the local park, in the Tolka Valley Park, and cause fear and intimidation. Last week, I also attended a vigil to mark Grace Lynch's birthday in Finglas. I spoke to her parents, Martin and Siobhán, who are still grieving Grace. Martin told me that when they campaigned for Grace’s law, they did not expect that they would then have to campaign for its enforcement. It is to the Government’s shame and a failure of this State that parents grieving their daughter killed by a scrambler now have to campaign for the enforcement of this law. Today, Martin told me that nobody really understands the pain until it knocks on their door. They are calling for real action to prevent any other family from having to go through what they went through. I also want to highlight that John Joe O'Connell, the vice president of the GRA, said on Radio One this week that its members are tasked to intervene and stop the illegal use of scramblers and e-scooters but they just do not have the training, resources or protection to do that. That is the Garda Representative Association saying they do not have the resources. They need to be given the resources and training.

The Department of Transport is examining the issue of mandating the use of protective equipment for e-scooters and e-bikes along with other road safety-focused measures. Proposals in this regard are under consideration by the Ministers. The Department is also considering the matter of registration for e-scooters. Any system of mandatary registration requires significant development work to act effectively and efficiently. A registration system for e-scooters would need to address issues including how to verify the identity of individuals who use them, safe and visible placement of registration plates and sufficient resourcing for the registration body. In addition there are no harmonised technical specifications for e-scooters equivalent to EU-type approval for other vehicle types in place across the European Union. These issues would need to be carefully addressed and assessed.

There is the glaring reality that we in these Houses and the Government have to be honest about - a law was passed in 2024 to regulate e-scooters. Some countries have no regulation of e-scooters but what has actually happened since we made e-scooters legal to purchase in Ireland is that more children have life-long head injuries and are showing up in Temple Street. That is the regulatory regime we in these Houses passed. This is despite every effort by the Garda and others to encourage parents not to purchase e-scooters for their kids - they should not have them. I see in my own constituency gardaí seizing e-scooters right, left and centre. Parents get very upset when they are seized and the gardaí get it in the neck from them. There is very little from an operational point of view that anybody can do. We have to seriously consider the growing number of kids presenting in Temple Street and examine what is taking place in other jurisdictions. It is an issue being discussed among neurosurgeons across the world. In Queensland they have to wear helmets but it does not make much of a difference in terms of the children presenting. It is the e-scooters, the road surface and the kids using the e-scooters on the road surface.

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.

A key aspect the Lynch family asked for is pursuit training for gardaí. The GRA representative was on the radio saying they have no pursuit training. Gardaí are in the situation where they want to pursue and there is a law which says they should stop the use but they do not actually have the training to do it. That is a minimal, basic thing the Government could do now - roll out training of gardaí so they can pursue safely and not be followed up. We are seeing a ridiculous situation where gardaí are being arrested for pursuing, which is completely illogical. Gardaí need to be resourced properly. We want our communities to be safe. It is not fair or right that our most disadvantaged communities are most exposed to this lack of safety and the gardaí do not having the resources to do policing. We are concerned about the EU Presidency and the reduction in Garda resources as a result. Disadvantaged areas like Finglas and Ballymun should not be paying the price for that.