Meeting of the Parliament 12 March 2014
We hope to have that by the end of the calendar year. I will provide more information to the member.
We are developing a national low emissions strategy, which will draw together the wide range of policies and initiatives that are being taken forward by the Scottish Government and others. It will highlight and strengthen the links between air quality and other elements of the Government’s work on climate change, transport, renewable energy, health and planning, and it will set out the contribution that reduced air pollution can make to sustainable economic growth and quality of life in our towns and cities.
Alongside our domestic air quality targets, we have national responsibilities. The UK, along with other EU member states, has to comply with air quality limit values that are set in European legislation, and failure to achieve those by the required dates could lead to infraction and heavy fines. Indeed, in the past few weeks, the European Commission has written to the UK Government indicating that it intends to commence infraction proceedings in respect of failure to comply with nitrogen dioxide limit values in 15 zones in England plus the Glasgow urban area. We are working closely with the UK Government to prepare a response to the Commission that demonstrates how we intend to secure full compliance as soon as possible.
We cannot afford to be complacent, as there are still many air pollution issues to be addressed. Work must continue to ensure that the achievements of recent years are not just maintained but improved upon, and that our evidence base is of the best possible quality. In that way, we hope to ensure a cleaner, greener Scotland for everyone.
I move amendment S4M-09294.3, to leave out from “is concerned” to end and insert:
“notes the 2013 air quality monitoring results and that, while improvements in air quality have been made over recent years, a number of hot spot areas still exist, which have impacts on the quality of life and health and wellbeing of impacted communities and individuals, particularly those with pre-existing respiratory and cardiovascular conditions; recognises the work that has been led by the Scottish Government, local authorities and others to improve air quality and protect the quality of life of individuals and communities; recognises, however, that more needs to be done, and welcomes initiatives such as the Low Emission Strategy that will deliver further progress.”
14:59Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.