- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
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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.
Answer
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
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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).
Answer
The ScotRail HSTs fleet is safe, and will continue to remain safe; this has been validated by an independent review of the HSTs’ design and construction, and endorsed by the industry safety regulator, the Office of Rail and Road.
Operational safety is a matter for ScotRail Trains and Network Rail, who are jointly responsible for the management of safety risks on Scotland’s Railway.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
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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.
Answer
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
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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.
Answer
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.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
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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.
Answer
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
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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.
Answer
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
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Monday, 23 December 2024
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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.
Answer
In May 2023 CalMac as operator announced that Molgas Energy Uk Ltd would be the supplier of LNG for the MV Glen Sannox and MV Glen Rosa. Please see aside link to the CalMac publication:
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 12 December 2024
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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.
Answer
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 |
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Friday, 20 December 2024
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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.
Answer
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.
- Asked by: Douglas Lumsden, MSP for North East Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Fiona Hyslop on 9 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what measures are in place to monitor the environmental impact of ScotRail services.
Answer
Rail is one of the transport modes with the lowest emissions. ScotRail provides details on managing its environmental impact on its website, which can be found here:
ScotRail also has a Sustainability Policy in place, which is available online at: