I raise an issue of concern under promised legislation. I visited a number of parks last weekend and saw clear evidence of turf having been gouged out by the tyres of scrambler and quad bikes. Will the Taoiseach discourage parents who might be thinking of buying these bikes for their loved ones at Christmas from doing so? These vehicles bring mayhem into communities and are destroying our parks. They are also making parks exclusive places. While parks, by their nature, should be inclusive, people are terrified to go into many parks because of young people using scrambler bikes, mopeds and quad bikes They are destroying football pitches and amenities. People are waking up early in the morning and going to bed at night listening to this noise. What legislation is coming down the track to address this issue?

I strongly discourage parents, young people or anybody else from purchasing scramblers or quad bikes for use in public places and parks in particular.

There have been ongoing discussions with a number of stakeholders through a committee which I convened earlier this year. We are currently looking at a proposed legislative change which would refine the definition of public place. Discussions are ongoing between the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, my Department, and local authorities in this regard. I cannot say the matter will be resolved before the end of this year but this is an issue of importance and we are looking at how to address it.