E-scooters: New helmet and hi-vis rules to go before Cabinet

Ministers will seek approval for tougher e-scooter regulations, including a higher minimum age, mandatory helmets and high-visibility clothing, and increased penalties for offences

Transport minister Darragh O’Brien and minister of state Seán Canney will seek approval for measures to increase fixed-charge notices for e-scooter offences from €50 to €100. Picture: iStock

Laws introducing a higher minimum age for e-scooter users, mandatory helmets and high-visibility clothing, and increased fines are to come before Cabinet on Wednesday.

Transport minister Darragh O’Brien and minister of state Seán Canney will seek approval for measures that would increase fixed-charge notices for all e-scooter offences from €50 to €100 and raise the cost of recovering detained scooters. This is currently set at €125 in the first 24 hours and €35 per day thereafter.

The ministers will bring forward plans to reform the Road Safety Authority (RSA), including the creation of a road safety ambassadors programme aimed at broadening the reach of road safety messaging and expanding education initiatives.

They will also bring the National Vehicle and Driver File, Road Traffic, and Roads Bill 2026 to Cabinet. The legislation would allow local authorities to access and process road collision data from the RSA and gardaí.

It would also allow juries to consider a charge of careless driving where a defendant is acquitted of dangerous driving, and introduce a range of other changes, including the abolition of the requirement to display a paper motor tax disc.

Uisce Éireann and housing

Meanwhile, the Government will sign off on an additional funding injection of €2bn for Uisce Éireann/Irish Water on Wednesday.

Public expenditure minister Jack Chambers, Tánaiste and finance minister Simon Harris, and housing minister James Browne are jointly bringing a memo to Cabinet outlining details of the payment to support the Government’s objectives to deliver 300,000 new homes by 2030. 

Cabinet will hear that increasing water and wastewater services is “critical” to increasing housing supply across the country.

The memo contains strict rules stipulating the equity injection is provided for the expansion of water capacity to new housing settlements only.

Ireland’s EU presidency

Foreign affairs minister Helen McEntee is due to update Cabinet on the opening phase of Ireland’s EU presidency. She is expected to tell ministers that Ireland has:

• Already secured the first political agreement with the European Parliament on the Agile defence innovation programme;
• Helped broker agreement on the EU’s 21st sanctions package against Russia following difficult negotiations;
• Advanced accession talks with four candidate countries in a single day
• Reached agreement on measures to strengthen the detection of child sexual abuse material online.

National Strategy for Women and Girls

Children's minister Norma Foley will, meanwhile, seek approval and publication of the first action plan under the National Strategy for Women and Girls 2025-30.

Dublin City Taskforce

Also at Cabinet, the Taoiseach will update ministers on the implementation of the Dublin City Taskforce. 

Micheál Martin will tell them that, since the 2025 launch of the report of the taskforce, there has been high-visibility policing in place in the capital, with reductions in robbery, criminal damage, and assault. 

However, concerns remain around on-street drug dealing and public order.

• Paul Hosford, Deputy Political Editor