Meeting of the Parliament 09 December 2025
I congratulate my friend and colleague Sue Webber on securing this important and, I believe, timely debate. I place on record my entry in the register of members’ interests, which notes that my wife is a police sergeant in Moray.
I want to focus on the impact that the issue has had, and continues to have, in Moray. However, I must start with Christine Grahame’s proposal. If she believes in any way that there is consensus in the chamber on her proposal, she should count me out.
My local police divisional commander disagrees with Christine Grahame. Chief Inspector Mike McKenzie, who is the local area commander for Moray, wrote:
“E-scooters cannot be legally registered by the DVLA, which means they are illegal to use on public roads.”
He is very clear—[Interruption.] If Christine Grahame wants to come in, I will give way to her in a second, but—[Interruption.] In a second. I am sorry. I will give way once I have made the point that I want to put to Christine Grahame, which is that—I say this with the greatest respect—even if she disagrees with Chief Inspector McKenzie, it is naive in the extreme to say that licensing, taxing and registering the vehicles will solve the problems. The people who will do all of that are not the ones who are currently using those vehicles on public roads. They are the ones who are buying them to be used off road, in fields and so on. The ones who are causing the problems will not suddenly, overnight, start registering their vehicles, which will then solve the problems. I am sorry, but I do not agree that that is the solution.
I respectfully give way to Christine Grahame.