After the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the Minister for Transport announced an important measure to ban scrambler bikes in the wake of the tragic death of Grace Lynch. That measure is vitally needed and must come with greater enforcement. From media reports, I understand a second proposal was withdrawn at or before the meeting that would have made helmets and high-vis jackets mandatory for people using e-scooters, e-bikes and ordinary pushbikes. An Garda Síochána would be empowered to fine those without a helmet making this a criminal matter.

No EU country makes helmets mandatory for cyclists on a push bike because they know that to criminalise the users of ordinary bikes in this way makes no sense. It would overnight row back the significant progress made over the past ten years in the uptake of cycling. How would Dublinbikes or Bleeper work if a helmet is mandatory? The ability of a bike to facilitate a simple daily activity is suddenly constrained if merely cycling your bike is criminalised. Of course, helmets are an important part of how cyclists can protect themselves but criminalising the absence of a helmet is basically saying that we are going to reduce cycling deaths and injuries by reducing cycling itself. Yesterday at a meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport, we heard from cycling organisations about the measures they want to see implemented to make them safer so we do not see 14 cyclists die on our roads this year like we did last year. We heard their' frustration at the Government's U-turn on a decision that was made by the previous Government to split the Road Safety Authority to allow it to focus on its safety mandate and they voiced real anger at the Government's decision to delay the introduction of life-saving 30 km/h zones in built-up areas. Here are actual policy proposals, evidence-based, that will make journeys safer for all vulnerable road users, including cyclists, yet the proposal the Government seems to be prioritising is one that puts all the responsibility back on the cyclist, and not on the dangerous road environment we have to negotiate and the big cars that knock us down.

IrishCycle.com reports that the Tánaiste is one of the main people pushing mandatory helmets for cyclists on a push bike. I do not know if that is true. Is it true? Is he aware that mandatory helmets for cyclists is seen as the primary barrier to new people taking up cycling in jurisdictions like Australia where it is in place? Why has the Government chosen to push this unevidenced measure when there are so many other steps it could take to make our roads safer for those of us on a bike and for everyone else?

I get blamed for everything sometimes but I am certainly not behind that proposal nor is there one. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue because road safety is an extraordinarily important issue. Our road safety statistics in this country are going in the wrong direction. We all think of Grace Lynch. We are pleased and proud in this House that the new regulation on scramblers will be named in her name, in her honour and in her memory. I think of her family this morning. The action we have taken regarding scramblers is important, proportionate and clear. Scramblers do not belong on public roads or in public spaces and there needs to be no ambiguity about that.

Most people agree that we need to do more regarding e-scooters, most particularly in relation to our children. Somebody under the age of 16 is already not permitted to be on an e-scooter. However, talking to doctors, as we all do, they say that e-scooter accidents are the number one cause of induced brain trauma in children in Ireland. It is horrifying. Yes, it is illegal but when I talk to gardaí, the current structure is a bit cumbersome. We need to make it easier for An Garda Síochána to enforce the regulations and give gardaí the power of seizure. I think they have to issue summonses at the moment, which is too complex. The Minister for Transport and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, are coming back to Government on that.

As the Deputy very clearly said, we need a conversation about how different users share the road. We need to do a hell of a lot more about that and education on road safety more generally. Of course, wearing a helmet is an important and safe thing to do - we all agree about that - but there are no plans to change the law to make that mandatory. That would be a really bad use of Garda time and the immediate answer to everything does not have to be a new law.

I saw some reporting of the comments yesterday and found myself largely in agreement with many of the points being made by Cycling Ireland, which is why I was rather bemused by some of the reportage this morning but such is life. We can and should differentiate. The letter "e" is a bit of a giveaway. If something is motorised and electric and can do great speeds, that is one thing that needs to be looked at but with regard to traditional pushbikes, we should use education, engagement, enforcement of existing laws and continuing to make sure we invest in safe infrastructure. That is the Government position. The concerns articulated by Cycling Ireland reflect a broader evidence base on existing enforcement gaps. It makes the point about the risk of counterproductive regulation. At a time we are about simplification, I do not see the need for new legislation in this space.

I welcome the Tánaiste's confirmation that there are no proposals for mandatory helmets for cyclists using pushbikes.

This would have been hugely damaging to the transition we are seeing and the supports we are seeing for people taking up cycle. We agree on the point of the need to differentiate between pushbikes and the electronically powered vehicles. Some of those vehicles, particularly scooters, are a major driver of brain injuries and many of those are already illegal. Under 16s using them is already a crime. The souped-up scooters are already illegal. The enforcement of those laws is key.

Continuing in this spirit of agreement, I ask that the Tánaiste looks closely at what was said at the transport committee meeting yesterday by his former colleague, Ciarán Cannon. There is real anger about steps that the Government has taken in the past 12 months that are seen as directly damaging to road safety for all vulnerable users but particularly for cyclists.

I certainly will. I know Ciarán Cannon well from his past posting in the House. I know him to be a very good and reasonable person and a good, evidence-based advocate. He was in this House and he is in his new role. If there was ever an issue that we should not be partisan on, and it is not in our discussion, it is road safety. We all want to see a reduction in deaths and injuries. I think we are all alarmed - I am certainly alarmed - at the dangers we see on our roads. There are more distractions than ever before in cars. Some distractions are illegal and should not be happening while others just seem to happen. The environment, in general, is more distracting. There are more road users and a greater volume of vehicles. There has also been an increasing in cycling, which is a good thing that we want to continue to support, but driver and cyclist education is also important.

I take the Deputy's point on e-scooters that there are laws and regulations there. I remain to be convinced that there is not more to be done on e-scooters. I just think there is. I am deeply concerned about this. The Deputy's comment on enforcement is definitely right. We also need to listen to An Garda Síochána to make sure that what we put in place is enforceable and practical. This is an important point, but I am happy to have further engagement with Cycling Ireland on this, and the Government will continue to engage closely.