Hansard

Thank you, Presiding Officer.

I thank Graeme Dey and his committee colleagues for their inquiry and detailed work on air quality, and I congratulate them on their report, which, for the reasons that Mark Ruskell set out, provides a useful platform from which to take forward the Parliament’s work in the area and attempt to make the cleaner air for Scotland strategy deliver on its ambitions.

I am the member of the Scottish Parliament for Orkney, Presiding Officer, and in the coffee lounge earlier you and I were reflecting that, although a lack of clean air might not be a problem in my part of the world, the speed at which the air moves certainly is.

Air quality is a shared interest of all members, as it relates to our concerns about climate change, the environment and our health objectives. As Katherine Byrne, of Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland, reminded us, air pollution should be treated as a health emergency. That is a clarion call for action.

In the time that is available to me, I will touch on three issues that are addressed in the report: policy cohesion, low-emission zones and cars.

This is an area that clearly needs a joined-up approach across Government. As the cabinet secretary rightly acknowledged in her speech, air quality touches on policy areas such as the environment, transport, health, agriculture, local government and education. It cannot simply be a matter for one minister or one department.

The committee rightly asks that air quality be a key component in reviews of the national planning framework and national planning policy. If air quality is not embedded in planning and place making, it is difficult to see how we can achieve the objectives of the CAFS strategy.

That points to the joined-up approach that is needed between national Government and local government. The committee’s report seems to imply that there are conflicting interests across local authorities. There is no doubt that council budgets are under pressure, and it might be difficult for some councils to make investments when they are making difficult decisions about funding other areas, but we need to find mechanisms, including funding, to ensure that at national and local levels there is complementary—and certainly not contradictory—action.

LEZs have been something of a poster child for the Scottish Government’s clean air strategy. They are very welcome indeed, and I congratulate Glasgow on being the first taxi off the rank in having one. We need to recognise that that LEZ will set the tone. If it is ambitious, it will encourage others to raise their game, too; if it is too timid, it will run the risk of providing cover and an excuse for others to follow suit. It is good to see the ECCLR Committee supporting a strong stance on that. For the reasons that David Stewart touched on, it is right that, in order to make a meaningful contribution, such zones must include, at the very least, private vehicles.

Friends of the Earth has pointed out that, since the publication of the committee’s report, we have seen Glasgow City Council produce less-than-ambitious proposals. There have been attempts to beef those proposals up, but they still seem to fall far short of the commitments that were made by the Government. More importantly, they run the risk of leaving the levels of air pollution still illegal by 2020. Last month, we also saw Environment LINK resign from the cleaner air for Scotland governance group. All of that sets a mood and a tone. The cabinet secretary has pointed to the subsequent clarifications around the budget, which is helpful and will, I hope, allow Glasgow to be, shall I say, miles bolder.

Finally, I welcome the commitment that the Government has set out in relation to the phasing out of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2032, which is an achievable timeframe. As Gina Hanrahan of WWF Scotland has made clear:

“Decarbonising our transport sector in fifteen years will create new jobs, cut emissions and clean up our polluted air.”

That is a win-win-win situation. She also pointed to the fact that that will have an effect in accelerating the shift to electric vehicles that will set us up to lead in the development of the technologies of the future. The transport minister will not need to be reminded that I represent a part of the world that is leading the way when it comes to electric vehicle ownership. However, it is important that we see that cascade more widely across the country in the years ahead.

The committee calls for the Scottish Government to set out a timeline for reaching that goal, so that we can see the milestones along the way, including the legislative and non-legislative measures and incentives that are needed. As I have pointed out on many occasions, the charging infrastructure is absolutely key. However, it needs to be not only extensive but reliable. Charging points need to be factored into new house builds, including tenements, and the use of financial incentives such as reduced parking charges, exemption from tolls and the like should be considered.

As Graeme Dey reminded us in opening the debate, the response to the Government’s clean air strategy has been a bit mixed. However, there is an opportunity to respond to that. Air pollution is the greatest environmental challenge to public health that we face, so the Government needs to match its rhetoric with the necessary mix of ambition and urgency. The CAFS strategy remains the best means of achieving that, and I hope that the ECCLR Committee and this Parliament will continue to play their role in ensuring that that happens.