Debate contribution: Antisocial Scrambler and e-Scooter Use

Debate contribution by Mr Phillip Brett on 21 April 2026.

MLA

Mr Phillip Brett

Party at the time

Democratic Unionist Party

Date

21 April 2026

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Opposition Business

Heading

Antisocial Scrambler and e-Scooter Use

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5497923

Read the official Assembly record

Text

There are occasions on which the Assembly spends time talking about things that may not be as important as this issue, which, in many cases, is a life-and-death scenario. It is a life-and-death scenario for the young people in my constituency who use e-scooters on public roads, footways and open spaces. It is a matter of life and death for other people using the road and for pedestrians trying to go about their business. Footage that I released yesterday speaks to the epidemic in North Belfast: 35 young people drove along Shore Road and onto Antrim Road through Duncairn Gardens, circling drivers, pedestrians and the police. People contact me every day about the issue on my constituency email and Facebook Messenger. They are afraid that, when they use the road, they will hit one of the young people using those scooters, or, when they are trying to enjoy open spaces, they are intimidated by those users. We need to send a clear message: it is illegal to use an e-scooter on public roads. It is a simple message. Children of 11, 12 and younger do not have the resources to spend hundreds of pounds on the scooters; they are being bought for them by their parents. I have a simple message for people who are purchasing those scooters for their children: you need to wise up. You should not be buying your children things that could cause harm to them or others. I am particularly concerned about the issue. In East Belfast, my colleague David Brooks has done a lot of important work on this. To date, I have been disappointed by the response that has been given by the Minister of Justice when this has been raised. When I asked her whether she would encourage the Police Service of Northern Ireland to have a targeted campaign of education and enforcement on the issue, her response was that the Police Service of Northern Ireland is an autonomous organisation. The Minister of Justice can pick up the phone to the Chief Constable on a range of issues. For the Minister of Justice to wash her hands of this issue is a dereliction of duty.

Happily.

Thank you. We will hear remarks from another member of the Policing Board here today, but I have no doubt that Cheryl Brownlee and other members have raised the issue. They will speak to the record about that. It is not difficult for the Minister of Justice to pick up the phone to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Outsourcing this to the Policing Board — the more people who raise it, the better. The Member said that the Justice Minister has a willingness to look at legislation. A willingness does not deliver solutions. A willingness does not stop people using the scooters, nor does it empower the police to seize and destroy. That is why our amendment is so important. I am not often one to look to the Republic of Ireland for best practice, but the work that has been initiated in the Republic of Ireland since January has been really great to see. They have seized and destroyed hundreds of e-scooters and issued fixed penalty fines not just to those who have purchased them but to those who have sold them to young people or their families for use on the public road. That is why our amendment calls for immediate action on mandatory registration at time of purchase and powers for seizure and destruction, with a clear message given to the Police Service of Northern Ireland that they need to put extra resources into doing that. It will take us a while to get legislation, so let us send a clear message to young people and parents today: you are risking lives, and it is only a matter of time before someone else is killed. You are inflicting anti-community behaviour on areas in which you live. You are destroying open spaces. Ultimately, if you are convicted for using one of those e-scooters and, God forbid, injuring someone, you will ruin your life chances moving forward. It is important that we send a strong message. I will continue to engage with the Minister of Justice, and I encourage her to introduce legislation, either primary or through regulation, to ensure that the police have the power to tackle the matter properly. I fear that someone will be killed on the streets of our capital city very soon.

743 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 15:26 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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