I wish to raise an important issue that affects all parts of the country. Electric scooters are now commonplace. They have soared in popularity in recent times. Their ever-increasing popularity is also creating some serious issues for many people. One of the biggest single complaints my constituency office receives is from people who are taking issue with electric scooters. I also have many issues with electric scooters. Electric scooters have the ability to travel at between 20 km/h and 40 km/h. Unfortunately, many users are travelling at these speeds not only on roads but also on footpaths. It is this travel on footpaths that causes most concern. I have heard many stories from constituents of near misses they have had with these electric scooters. I know from experience how dangerous they can be. I have had a number of near misses with electric scooters. Since the start of the pandemic, the number of people walking has increased. People should feel safe walking on footpaths but they do not. There are those who are riding electric scooters at high speed on footpaths and who are intimidating others. People should feel safe on the roads.

I am sure that nearly everybody in this Chamber has had some kind of near miss or accident with a scooter. Even this morning coming to Leinster House, I was stopped at traffic lights and I saw a young fellow on an electric scooter cross the road onto another road. He even went into a shop on the scooter. He did not have the decency to get off the scooter. These are serious issues.

A few weeks ago, one of our national newspapers had a photograph of a family of four - a man, a woman and two children - on a scooter. The man had a two- or three-year-old child on his shoulders. This is getting very serious. It is now common for electric scooters to come in ones, twos or fours. My understanding is that users of these motorised bicycles or scooters are not permitted to use them on public footpaths. In order to use them on public roads, insurance is required. Are those who ride scooters allowed to carry one, two, three or more passengers? Are they allowed to drive them on footpaths or roads, or into shops? At night, they can be seen on the wrong side of the road or in cycle lanes. Those riding them have no lights and they wear dark clothes. It is important to have clarity on this, not only for the general public but also for the users of electric scooters and bikes. Does the Government have any plans to introduce regulation for the use of these electric scooters on our public roads?

This is a serious matter and it must be sorted out as soon as possible. People need to feel safe on our footpaths and roads. It only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt or even killed as a result of the of the improper use of electric scooters.

Currently, e-scooters are not covered by the law here in Ireland. In order to deal with this, Government intends to legislate for e-scooters and e-bikes in accordance with the commitment in the programme for Government. Department of Transport officials have now drafted the necessary changes to primary legislation as part of the forthcoming road traffic (miscellaneous provisions) Bill 2021. This will provide the basis for regulating what will be described as powered personal transporters, PPTs, including e-scooters. The general scheme of the Bill has completed pre-legislative scrutiny and will go to the Government shortly with a request for permission to publish, before proceeding to the Houses of the Oireachtas.

When the forthcoming Bill is enacted, it will give the Minister the powers to make regulations for the use of these vehicles and other PPTs. Once this new category of transport has been defined, the vehicles will be incorporated into the existing legal framework, which includes a range of powers and offences. It will permit the Minister for Transport to regulate the use or misuse and the standards of different types of PPTs through the introduction of regulations. Furthermore, the existing powers of An Garda Síochána in road traffic legislation concerning offences relating to careless and dangerous driving, driving under the influence of intoxicants or driving an unroadworthy vehicle can then be extended to these personal powered transporters where required.

As I said, it is only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt or even killed as result of the improper use of electric scooters, which have become very common. We need to act now, particularly in view of the number of near misses I have seen recently. Those on electric scooters think they have a God-given right to be on our footpaths and roads at night. Even when gardaí are asked, nobody seems to want to do anything. I plead with the Tánaiste to contact the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner so that gardaí can start enforcing the law. It is only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt. It would be good idea to start a public awareness campaign to highlight the safe and proper use of electric scooters along the lines of other campaigns in the past.

E-scooters could be good if they are regulated and looked after properly. Many young people use these to go to colleges and jobs and I do not have a problem with that. However, regulations need to be put in place. I plead with the Tánaiste to act now.

I appreciate the Deputy raising this issue. I agree with his sentiments entirely. There is a gap in the law. These new vehicles and new methods of personal transport have emerged in recent years. The law as it is now written is written for cars, vehicles, animals and bikes, not for these PPTs, as they will be described in the law. We need to close that gap in the law. The Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is keen to do so soon, ideally during this parliamentary session.