Meeting of the Parliament 17 April 2018
I believe that this is Holyrood’s first air quality inquiry, which provides an excellent starting point for further scrutiny across Parliament, in much the same way as the first inquiry into climate change did, more than a decade ago.
The figure of 2,500 deaths every year related to air pollution should be our strongest call to action. The urgency to tackle this public health crisis is reflected in the EU’s targets on nitrous oxide, which we have so far failed to meet in Scotland, which has undoubtedly cost lives. The problem is not just in the big cities: the number of air-quality management areas that are triggered by dangerous levels of particulates and nitrous oxide in towns continues to rise, not fall.
The Government’s “Cleaner Air for Scotland: The Road to a Healthier Future” strategy has the right approach, but it must be strengthened with the right actions and the budget to meet EU targets in less than two years. As Dave Stewart does, I doubt whether the European Court of Justice will still be able to take infraction proceedings if we fail to meet the targets, but establishing a successor body to hold Governments to account on the health of our environment will be critical post-Brexit.
Many recommendations in the report should refocus the Government’s strategy. The announcement in the programme for government that the number of LEZs is to be increased from a single pilot to four was welcome. However, it became clear during the inquiry that cutting pollution from the bus fleet will be the foundation for every successful LEZ, with the inclusion of cars, taxis and heavy goods vehicles taking as early as possible the path of the buses.
The Confederation of Passenger Transport told the inquiry that the CAFS strategy has so far “failed to deliver”, with no review of the bus investment fund, the operators grant or guidance, and no updated legislation, which it was promised would be in place by 2016.
As I highlighted in the recent Green Party debate on buses, confusion around funding has hampered the early planning of a more ambitious Glasgow LEZ. I was encouraged that, the day after that debate, the transport minister announced that 70 per cent of the £10.8 million fund for LEZ delivery this year can be used for bus retrofits. That means that in Glasgow about three quarters of the fleet could be running clean by next year.
However, there is still no sign of the further £10 million of loan funds that was agreed as part of this year’s budget, which could be used to accelerate delivery of engine and exhaust retrofit work in the other three cities, thereby giving them a head start on wider LEZ roll-out. I acknowledge that plans change and evolve, but the situation emphasises the importance of an annual report on the CAF strategy that can make it clear to Parliament where the effort will be going, and where and why programmes need revision ahead of the annual budget process.
In my remaining time, I will mention a couple more of the many themes that the committee looked at. When we talk about air quality, we talk mostly about communities and how they work. Our trip to Corstorphine to talk to residents underlined just how complex the situation is. How parking is enforced, how traffic lights are phased, how the school run works and how planning decisions are made all impact on air quality. It is obvious that if we create an urban environment that is easy to get around on foot or by bike—where vehicle speeds are safer and where there is good infrastructure for walking and cycling—we will make our towns and cities healthier and more attractive places in which to spend time and money.
The planning process is critical. Both the cabinet secretary and the transport minister highlighted to the inquiry the need for air quality to be a bigger consideration. I ask whether the promised discussions with the planning minister about planning reform have been held. We need to be making healthy places, rather than locking in pollution and ill health for generations to come.
Finally, I highlight the role of agriculture in adding to background levels of nitrogen pollution. It is yet another area—alongside climate change and water quality—in which a nitrogen budget for Scotland could make a big difference. We need our Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity finally to grasp that proportionate regulation to deal with nitrogen pollution can only bring cost savings to farmers, while protecting our soils, rivers, climate and air.
The inquiry is an important milestone on our journey to a Scotland in which deaths from air pollution are consigned to the history books, alongside deaths from cholera and tuberculosis. Renewed focus by the Government will be needed if we are to make that a reality.