- Asked by: Carol Mochan, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Labour
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Date lodged: Wednesday, 18 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 10 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what training is currently provided to prison staff on interacting with and supporting people who have alcohol use disorder.
Answer
I have asked Teresa Medhurst, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS), to respond. Her response is as follows:
During seven weeks of training, new prison officers receive training on a range of strategies and interventions designed to support those in our care, this includes a dedicated learning outcome on the effects of alcohol use.
SPS Health and College teams are also conducting a scoping exercise which will help further identify Officer needs when supporting those in our care. This exercise will shape delivery of future training and will incorporate the newly published Mental Health and Alcohol & Drug strategies.
- 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 Angela Constance on 10 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government how many illegal e-bikes have been seized in each year since 2020.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information. I have asked Police Scotland to write to you on this matter.
- 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 Angela Constance on 10 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it has considered the use of technology to identify and monitor illegal e-bikes, such as speed tracking or motor compliance checks.
Answer
The Scottish Government maintains contact with the UK Government on the shared challenge of tackling illegal e-bikes. The Scottish Government has noted the work undertaken by the UK Government through its Defence and Security Accelerator to undertake research on technology to tackle e-scooter and e-bike enabled crime, including technology to bring these vehicles to a controlled stop in a manner which does not pose a significant risk to the rider, the public or police officers.
- 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 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.
Answer
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.
- 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 Angela Constance on 10 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what data it holds on the number of incidents involving illegal e-bikes that have resulted in injuries to pedestrians over the past three years.
Answer
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.
- 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 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.
Answer
The Scottish Government notes that Police Scotland have engaged in communications activity to ensure customers purchasing e-bikes are aware of the associated legal requirements under road traffic law. The Scottish Government recognises that it is important for retailers to provide information on this. Product safety and product labelling are reserved matters.
- 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 Angela Constance on 10 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government whether it collects data on the number of e-bikes that are imported into Scotland that do not meet UK safety standards.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to question S6W-32699 on 10 January 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- 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 Angela Constance on 10 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government which areas in Aberdeen have been identified as hotspots for the use of illegal e-bikes, and what targeted action has been taken in any such areas.
Answer
The Scottish Government does not hold this information. I have asked Police Scotland to write to you on this matter.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 10 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what monitoring it has made of the trends, techniques and approaches used by organised criminal gangs to exploit children criminally; what measures are being taken to respond to these and any emerging threats; how it targets the perpetrators, and how effective this has been.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-32496 on 10 January 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.
- Asked by: Michael Matheson, MSP for Falkirk West, Scottish National Party
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Date lodged: Thursday, 19 December 2024
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Current Status:
Answered by Angela Constance on 10 January 2025
To ask the Scottish Government what research it has conducted into the effectiveness of the Human Trafficking and Exploitation (Scotland) Act 2015 regarding the protection of children who have been criminally exploited (a) by offering them presumption against prosecution and (b) through sanctioning perpetrators.
Answer
I refer the member to the answer to the question S6W-32496 on 10 January 2025. All answers to written Parliamentary Questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/written-questions-and-answers.