Meeting of the Parliament 17 April 2018
Scotland has much to be proud of in its role as a leader on the issue. With more stringent air quality targets than elsewhere in the UK, and with domestic and European targets across much of Scotland being met, we are making progress.
“Cleaner Air for Scotland: The Road to a Healthier Future”, which was Scotland’s first national air quality strategy, was published in 2015. It set out intended action until 2020, which has been backed up by practical and financial support to local authorities from the Scottish National Party Government. Measures to tackle local air-pollution hotspots, including £3 million in annual funding, coupled with transport initiatives, have delivered 1,200 electric-vehicle charging bays and more than £16 million of funding via the green bus fund to introduce more than 360 low-emission buses to the Scottish fleet.
I will linger on transport policy, because it is an area of interest. I will ask a question in the chamber later this week about utilisation and, which is more important, normalisation of electric cars as we move into the future. For example, if we are serious about tackling air pollution from vehicles, then house builders and, by extension, local authorities need to ensure that they consider inclusion of car-charging points at properties and developments.
Vehicle manufacturers also need to play their part. That includes accurate reporting on their vehicles’ emissions, rather than the misreporting practices that we have seen in recent years. Better integration of infrastructure and building will help us to work towards a greener future with less polluted air. We must get ready for tomorrow today.
On that notion, I will reflect on the ECCLR Committee’s work in pursuit of its inquiry. As other members have said, the committee actively engaged with local communities during the inquiry, including a visit to Corstorphine in Edinburgh. An area’s having poor air quality due to pollution will naturally be of concern to the people who live there. However, monitoring being undertaken in the first place should allow for targeted action to be taken, which is why I believe that we must do more to support active monitoring and addressing of air quality throughout Scotland.
For national strategies to be fully implemented and their bold ambitions to be achieved, there needs to be alignment at all levels—from the Scottish Government and partner agencies to local authorities, right across the country. Although the committee was heartened by what it heard about co-operation at different levels of Government, as well as between organisations and professions, it also noted that there was not universality in the positive approaches that are being taken. That said, the Scottish Government works with SEPA, Transport Scotland, Health Protection Scotland and others to reduce air pollution further and to deliver benefits for human and environmental health.
Local authorities that have air quality management areas in place have produced action plans, and the Scottish Government is working closely with them to help them to implement the plans and to deliver air quality improvements. I hope to play my part by supporting plans locally in Lanarkshire to raise awareness of the issue of air quality and the development of our own local strategies.
It is clear that the Scottish Government is making progress in its aim to have the cleanest air in Europe. Examples that have already been cited and, indeed, the recent announcement of the appointment of additional members to the cleaner air for Scotland governance group, which oversees delivery of Scotland’s strategy for cutting air pollution and reducing its impact on health—that is important—illustrate that point.
As we all work together to improve air quality and to deliver an active nation, let us commit ourselves to redoubling our efforts to promote the many ways in which we can all contribute across our communities to making Scotland an even more fresh and beautiful place in which to live and work.
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