Questions and answers

Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for ��˿�� to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

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Question reference: S6W-32687

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 10 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many accidents involving illegal e-bikes have been recorded in each of the last three years, broken down by parliamentary region.

Data on collisions which cause injury and take place on the road network, including adjacent pavements and cycle lanes, is collected by Police Scotland as part of the GB-wide dataset known as STATS19.

Within STATS19, vehicles involved in injury road collisions can be recorded as ‘bicycle’ or ‘electric motorcycle’. However, there is currently no systematic way of determining which of these vehicles would be described as illegal e-bikes.

Question reference: S6W-32684

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 10 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it plans to introduce stricter penalties for riders of illegal e-bikes who cause harm to pedestrians.

Legislation surrounding the use of e-bikes and the penalties for misuse is a reserved matter for the UK Government. For an e-bike to be legal for use in the UK, they must meet the criteria of an electrically assisted pedal cycle and the electric motor should not be able to propel the bike when it’s travelling more than 15.5mph, with a maximum power output of 250 watts. This ensures speeds similar to that of other bicycles.

From January 2024 and the end of September 2024 Police Scotland made 281 seizures of illegal ebikes. It is every road and path users responsibility to respect others and the Highway Code outlines both rules and guidance for everyone.

Question reference: S6W-32683

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 10 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what financial or legal support is available to pedestrians injured in accidents involving illegal e-bikes.

Pedestrians injured in accidents involving illegal e-bikes are strongly encouraged to inform Police Scotland who can undertake a criminal investigation. Those who suffer injuries and believe that another party is at fault are able to bring a civil action before the courts. Legal aid support may be available or specialist firms that bring actions on a ‘no win, no fee’ basis may be able to assist.

Question reference: S6W-32686

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 10 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many illegal e-bikes have been seized in each year since 2020.

Question reference: S6W-32675

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 10 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the role of retailers in ensuring that customers purchasing e-bikes are informed about legal requirements.

Question reference: S6W-32689

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 10 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds on the types of modifications commonly made to e-bikes that render them illegal, including the use of high-powered motors and throttle systems.

Question reference: S6W-32681

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 10 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what resources are available to Police Scotland in Aberdeen for monitoring and addressing the reported issue of illegal e-bikes.

The Scottish Government’s 2024-25 budget includes record police funding of £1.55 billion, which is an increase of £92.7 million on the 2023-24 Scottish Police Authority budget.

Official statistics show there were 16,427 FTE police officers at 30 September 2024. On 30 October the Chief Constable told the Criminal Justice Committee that she expected to reach the target of 16,600 officers soon - and this happened on 4 November.

Deployment of these resources to meet policing priorities is an operational matter for Police Scotland, under the scrutiny of the Scottish Police Authority.

Question reference: S6W-32698

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 10 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many prosecutions have been brought under the Road Traffic Act 1988 in relation to illegal e-bikes in each year since 2020.

Question reference: S6W-32697

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 10 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what evidence it has on the effectiveness of current e-bike regulations in reducing the prevalence of illegal modifications.

Legislation surrounding the use of e-bikes and regulatory standards is a reserved matter for the UK Government. For an e-bike to be legal for use in the UK, they must meet the criteria of an electrically assisted pedal cycle and the electric motor should not be able to propel the bike when it’s travelling more than 15.5mph, with a maximum power output of 250 watts. This ensures speeds similar to that of other bicycles.

Ebikes that are modified to exceed speed and power limits are classify under motorcycle legislation. Police Scotland are responsible for taking action against those who ride illegal ebikes. Between January 2024 and Sept 2024 Police Scotland seized 281 illegally modified ebikes.

Members of the public who are seeking clarity on the standards required to ride on public roads should visit

Question reference: S6W-32678

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 10 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what support it is providing to Aberdeen City Council to ensure the effective enforcement of laws regulating e-bikes.

The Scottish Government fully supports local authorities and their partners in dealing with the misuse of such vehicles.

There is no record of Aberdeen City Council having requested support from the Scottish Government to enforce the laws regulating e-bikes.

Support for any local authority trading standards service to enforce product safety regulations is a matter for the Office for Product Safety and Standards.