157. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Transport the way in which the sale of e-scooters will be regulated; the penalties to wholesalers, retailers or other businesses for selling e-scooters that can travel above 20 km/h; and the penalties for individuals who modify e-scooters to increase their speed. [66006/26]

The Road Traffic Acts and associated e-scooter regulations govern the use of e-scooters on public roads only. At present, there are no restrictions in place to prohibit the sale of non-compliant e-scooters by retailers.

Any proposal to prohibit the sale of products that are otherwise lawfully placed on the EU market, by reference to criteria prescribed under the Road Traffic (Electric Scooters) Regulations 2024, would require consideration of Ireland's obligations under the EU Single Market framework, including the free movement of goods.

Such considerations would arise from the operation of the transport legislative framework and would be contingent on further legislative change and operational requirements in relation to registration of e-scooters, which is currently being considered on a cross-government basis.

The Department intends to restrict the supply of e-scooters and all Powered Personal Transporters to minors, in the same way as MPVs. This will make it an offence for an e-scooter to be provided to a person under the age of 18, either by way of sale, loan or gift. This will be implemented in appropriate primary legislation as soon as possible.

Part 3 Section 9 of the The Road Traffic (Electric Scooters) Regulations 2024 prohibits any modification to an e-scooter that results in the vehicle no longer complying with the technical specifications prescribed by the Regulations. Prohibited modifications may be met with a Fixed Charge Notice as set out in the Road Traffic Act 2010 (Part 3) (Fixed Charge Offences) Regulations 2024.