Parties keen to be green

Scotland recycles only 3% of its waste

Scotland's political parties have been competing to display their green credentials as the environment became the focus of campaigning.

The Liberal Democrats pointed to a survey by Friends of the Earth Scotland which named them as the best mainstream party for environmental issues.

Robin Harper, leader of the Scottish Greens, agreed that the Liberal Democrats had the best environmental policies of the four main parties, but said they had not done enough during their four years in government.

And the Labour Party set out its green policies with a pledge that, if elected, "Scotland's government will have the environment at its heart".

Health warning

Mr Harper said the fact that other parties had started addressing the environment was down to his presence as a Green MSP in the last Scottish Parliament.

He agreed that the Lib Dems' manifesto was the best of the mainstream parties in terms of environmental issues.

However, he issued a "health warning" on their record over the last four years.

He said that Ross Finnie, the Lib Dem environment minister in the coalition Scottish Executive, had blocked his organic targets bill for four years.

"With recycling, they have got their plans together now but why did they not get down to encouraging kerbside recycling in a big way four years ago?", he said.

Robin Harper: "Sitting on their thumbs"

"They have been sitting on their thumbs for four years."

Mr Harper added that he was still waiting for a wildlife bill, for protection for people affected by opencast mining and a range of other environmental concerns.

Mr Finnie said the claims were "nonsense".

He said he had worked "very hard" for four years.

"On the question of waste collection and waste disposal we had the worst record in Europe," he said.

"We have worked patiently with local authorities to build up a waste strategy and now we have in place a strategy that will increase our recycling from 3% now to 25% in 2005/6 and 55% by 2020.

Environmental prosecutors

"That is a very serious achievement.

"Throughout every aspect of our manifesto from health to education and jobs we have an environmental theme."

Also campaigning on green issues, Labour Party leader Jack McConnell promised tough new measures against polluters - including the creation of specialist environmental prosecutors.

He pledged a crusade against "environmental crime" if his party is returned to power on 1 May.

Mr McConnell said he was not proposing the creation of a specialist environmental court, as some green groups have urged, but a more effective use of the present system.

He unveiled the move as part of what Labour calls a 10-point action plan on green issues.

Danger areas

Other elements of the plan include a target of 40% of electricity coming from renewable sources by 2020 and increasing the proportion of waste recycling to 25% by 2006.

They also pledged to give councils new powers to tackle fly-tipping, litter, and graffiti.

Meanwhile, the Tories are looking at transport.

Party leader David McLetchie outlined details of an accident blackspot funding scheme, which focuses money to make well-known danger areas safer.

The nationalists highlighted crime by launching a series of national billboards.

Party leader John Swinney will later meet victims of youth crime and disorder.