Questions and answers

Question reference: S6W-32674

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what campaigns or public awareness initiatives are planned to educate the public about the legal requirements for e-bikes.

Legislation surrounding the use of e-bikes 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.

Prior to Christmas 2024 Police Scotland published advice on ebikes that provides clarity on the standards required to be permitted to ride on public roads. This received coverage across news outlets in Scotland and on Social Media.

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

Question reference: S6W-31642

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many seal licences have been issued to parties along the River (a) Dee and (b) Don in each of the last 10 years, also broken down by how many have been exercised.

Question reference: S6W-32602

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what safety measures are in place to ensure the continued operation of older diesel trains, including High Speed Trains (HSTs).

Question reference: S6W-31645

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many seals have been killed under licence in each of the last 10 years.

Question reference: S6W-32670

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what enforcement measures are in place to ensure compliance with regulations on e-bikes, including (a) speed limits and (b) motor output restrictions.

Legislation surrounding the use of e-bikes 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. In December Police Scotland published advice on ebikes ahead of Christmas that provides clarity on the standards required to be permitted to ride on public roads.

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-31639

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many seal licences have been issued in each of the last 10 years, also broken down by how many have been exercised.

Question reference: S6W-32672

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the risks posed by illegally modified e-bikes to pedestrians, including vulnerable groups such as visually impaired people.

Legislation surrounding the use of e-bikes, their risk to the public 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.

In December 2024 Police Scotland issued a media campaign to warn members of the public of the growing trend in illegally modified ebikes and the risk these pose to riders, pedestrians, and other road and path user.

It is every road and path users responsibility to respect others and the Highway Code outlines both rules and guidance for everyone. Members of the public who are seeking clarity on the standards required to ride on public roads should visit

Question reference: S6W-32771

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Monday, 23 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide details of the contract that is in place to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) for MV Glen Sannox, once the vessel enters service on 13 January 2025.

Question reference: S6W-31644

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many seal licences have been issued in each local authority area in each of the last 10 years, also broken down by how many have been exercised.

Seal licences are not issued on a Local Authority basis. Marine Directorate – Licensing Operations Team (on behalf of Scottish Ministers) determine applications and issue licences to kill or take seals under Part 6 of the Marine (Scotland) Act 2010 for the whole of Scotland. The regional consideration is of the designated Seal Management Areas (SMA), which allow applications to kill or take seals to be balanced against local seal population dynamics and the supporting data provided by the Natural Environment Research Council (Sea Mammal Research Unit at St Andrew’s University). The data for seals licenced to be killed or taken and the licences subsequently exercised within each SMA is shown in the following table:

	East Coast	Moray Firth	Orkney North Coast	Shetland	Western Isles	South West	West Scotland
Issued 2014
Rivers	7	2	6	0	2	2	4
Fish Farms	0	0	2	6	9	2	13

Exercised 2014
Rivers	1	2	4	0	1	0	2
Fish Farms	0	0	1	5	4	1	7

Total seals killed 2014
Rivers	11	31	53	0	6	0	5
Fish Farms	0	0	12	29	12	3	43
Combined	11	31	65	29	18	3	48

Issued 2015
Rivers	6	2	6	0	2	2	3
Fish Farms	0	0	2	6	7	2	13

Exercised 2015
Rivers	2	2	4	0	1	0	2
Fish Farms	0	0	2	3	3	1	7

Total seals killed 2015
Rivers	6	37	29	0	5	0	6
Fish Farms	0	0	10	10	8	1	50
Combined	6	37	39	10	13	1	56

Issued 2016
Rivers	5	1	5	0	2	2	3
Fish Farms	0	0	2	5	8	2	13

Exercised 2016
Rivers	1	1	3	0	1	0	2
Fish Farms	0	0	1	3	3	1	6

Total seals killed 2016
Rivers	2	18	5	0	1	0	12
Fish Farms	0	0	7	11	13	1	31
Combined	2	18	12	11	14	1	43

Issued 2017
Rivers	5	1	5	0	2	2	3
Fish Farms	0	0	2	3	7	2	14

Exercised 2017
Rivers	2	1	1	0	0	0	2
Fish Farms	0	0	1	1	3	1	5

Total seals killed 2017
Rivers	2	15	2	0	0	0	8
Fish Farms	0	0	1	8	17	1	22
Combined	2	15	3	8	17	1	30

Issued 2018
Rivers	4	1	5	0	3	2	3
Fish Farms	0	0	2	3	7	2	13

Exercised 2018
Rivers	1	1	3	0	1	0	2
Fish Farms	0	0	2	1	2	1	4

Total seals killed 2018
Rivers	1	18	8	0	2	0	7
Fish Farms	0	0	2	13	9	2	24
Combined	1	18	10	13	11	2	31

Issued 2019
Rivers	4	1	5	0	3	2	3
Fish Farms	0	0	2	3	7	0	13

Exercised 2019
Rivers	1	1	3	0	2	0	2
Fish Farms	0	0	2	2	3	0	5

Total seals killed 2019
Rivers	1	16	7	0	3	0	5
Fish Farms	0	0	5	8	28	0	19
Combined	1	16	12	8	31	0	24

Issued 2020
Rivers	5	1	5	0	5	2	3
Fish Farms	0	0	2	3	7	2	9

Exercised 2020
Rivers	1	1	1	0	0	0	2
Fish Farms	0	0	1	2	3	2	8

Question reference: S6W-32702

Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 9 January 2025

To ask the Scottish Government how many hospital admissions, as a result of injuries to pedestrians caused by illegal e-bikes, there have been in each of the last five years.

The Scottish Government does not hold information on how many hospital admissions, as a result of injuries to pedestrians caused by illegal e-bikes, there have been in each of the last five years.

Incidents are recorded as either:

1. Pedestrian injured in collision with pedal cycle or;

2. Pedestrian injured in collision with two or three wheeled motor vehicle.

Due to coding practices, incidents including e-bikes cannot be determined.

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