6. To ask the Scottish Government what steps it is taking to monitor and improve air quality in Glasgow. (S5O-00494)

Under the Environment Act 1995 and associated regulations, all Scottish local authorities are required to regularly review air quality in their areas against objectives for several pollutants that are of particular concern for human health. Glasgow City Council has produced an air quality action plan that contains a comprehensive range of measures to improve air quality in Glasgow. The Scottish Government is working closely with the council as it implements the measures that are contained in the plan and the Government is providing practical and financial assistance to monitor air quality and support delivery of measures.

Data from the World Health Organization puts Glasgow among 11 urban areas in the United Kingdom and Ireland that regularly exceed safe levels of air pollution. Given that that is bad not only for people’s health but for the wider environment, what action will the Scottish Government take to encourage more people to choose greener ways to travel?

The Government is making considerable progress on persuading people that the use of public transport is in many cases a smarter option than private car use. If people want to use private cars, there is the growing option of electric vehicles, with a widening range of charging points, and there is the potentially exciting innovation that may come from hydrogen. All those things are there and we encourage everybody to take them up if possible.

The member will have heard the comments that I made earlier about Glasgow, which also pertain to her question. To pick up on one important thing that she said, we need to understand and accept the massive health impact that poor air quality has. It is an extraordinary human health issue, and we need to take air quality much more seriously in that regard, as well as considering the environmental impacts.