Environment minister claims Scottish water is dirtier than England's
Steve Reed said that 'pollution levels in Scotland are worse than they are in England'.
Scotland's climate action secretary Gillian Martin said the claim was 'inaccurate and misleading'.
According to the latest independent water commission report, Scotland has more waterways in 'good' ecological condition compared to England and Wales.
Martin called for Reed to apologise for his comments made during an interview on Channel 4 News on Monday.
In a letter to the environment secretary on Tuesday, she said: 'I cannot understand how you could make such an inaccurate comment when the very report that you were on the programme to discuss clearly states the opposite.
'I am therefore asking that you acknowledge that your comments were inaccurate, apologise publicly for them, and seek to correct them.'
The row emerged after the final report from the Independent Water Commission found that 66% of Scotland's water bodies were of good ecological status, compared with 16.1% in England and 29.9% in Wales.
While Martin said there is 'clearly more to do', 87% of Scotland's entire water environment is assessed by SEPA as having a high or good classification for water quality – up from 82% in 2014.
'Whilst we of course need to be careful how these figures are used, as they are not calculated on the same basis, it is clear that Scotland has a higher performance,' Martin said.
When asked about public ownership of water during a Channel 4 News interview on Monday night, Reed said: 'In any case, it is not guaranteed to work… and we know that from looking north of the border where, in Scotland, they have a nationalised water company but pollution levels in Scotland are worse than they are in England.'
The Independent Water Commission report was led by Sir Jon Cunliffe and was prohibited from looking at the possibility of nationalising water companies in England and Wales.
Reed warned that nationalisation would cost £100bn and would slow down efforts to cut pollution.
Martin accused Reed of seeking to 'undermine the idea of public ownership'.
She said Scotland's comparatively high water performance is 'in part, due to water being a publicly owned asset, allowing for investment without shareholder returns or the pressure to make profits'.
The UK Government has been contacted for comment.
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The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Let's hope Nicola's book reminds us of her many achievements
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The Herald Scotland
2 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
'I hated how Sandie Peggie's daughter was used against her'
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Scotsman
3 hours ago
- Scotsman
SNP under fire for 'glacial progress' as cladding investigations progress revealed
Opponents have accused the SNP of lagging behind cladding progress in England Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... SNP ministers have been criticised for 'glacial progress' after it was revealed that only three of the estimated 1,450 buildings that might require cladding work in Scotland have been assessed. Following the Grenfell disaster, governments have been pressured to ensure that buildings are safe, particularly due to concerns over cladding brought on by the Grenfell disaster. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Grenfell Tower New statistics published by the Scottish Government have revealed that out of an estimated 1,450 buildings that may require work to remove cladding, just three have been fully assessed under Scotland's cladding remediation programme. Remediation work has only been completed on a mere 0.2 per cent of potentially affected buildings. The data revealed that another 12 single building assessments (SBAs), which assess any risk to life as a result of cladding, are currently underway. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Only two buildings across Scotland currently have active remediation work being undertaken. The Scottish Government defines a 'single building assessment' as one which 'results in a report on any risk to human life that is (directly or indirectly) created or exacerbated by a building's external wall cladding system', and 'what work (if any) is needed to eliminate or mitigate the risk'. The statistics have come despite the Scottish Government scheme having already received 600 expressions of interest from those responsible for potentially impacted buildings. The expressions of interest have been submitted for buildings in 18 of the 32 local authority areas in Scotland, with the largest proportion relating to buildings in Glasgow. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This lack of progress contrasts with the situation south of the Border, where 2,490 buildings identified with unsafe cladding have started or completed remediation works, representing 48 per cent of buildings within the programme. In England, there is a target to complete the remediation of high-rise buildings by 2029 and for mid-rise buildings to have either been completely remediated by the date, or to have a plan in place with a date set for completion. In Scotland, no such target exists. The Scottish Liberal Democrats have claimed there is 'no excuse' for slow progress after the Grenfell tragedy eight years ago. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scottish Liberal Democrat communities spokesperson, Willie Rennie, has warned that there are 'no excuses' for the SNP making slow progress on removing dangerous cladding. Willie Rennie Mr Rennie said: 'In the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower disaster, there can be no excuses for making such glacial progress, but this SNP government continues to blunder their way through in slow motion. 'This is an issue where Scotland simply cannot afford to fall behind; by moving so sluggishly with the necessary building works, the SNP government are only increasing the risks to peoples' lives. 'That's why I am imploring ministers to urgently step up the pace in fixing at-risk buildings and keep homeowners, residents and local authorities informed on developments.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'The Scottish Government has introduced legislation mandating the use of fire-suppression systems in new-build multi-occupancy properties over 18 metres; introduced regulations prohibiting the use of combustible cladding materials on high-medium risk buildings; and introduced regulations requiring the installation of interlinked smoke alarms in all properties. 'We committed to addressing unsafe cladding and the wider system failures that allowed these risks to go unchallenged. That commitment is now underpinned by law through the Housing (Cladding Remediation) (Scotland) Act 2024, which took effect in January 2025. 'We are moving at pace to support the identification, assessment, mitigation and remediation of buildings affected by unsafe cladding. Where risks are identified and require immediate intervention, we will take appropriate action because protecting lives is our top priority and cannot wait. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
