The Scottish Liberal Democrats have questioned the point of having Green ministers in Government after substantial budget cuts to environmental areas.

Following the publication of the Scottish Government's Budget document on Tuesday, the scale of cuts to some areas, including housing, the energy transition fund and rail services, have become clear.

A total of £80 million has been cut from the Government-owned ScotRail service, alongside a £37.8 million reduction in spending on the Just Transition Fund - despite a Government pledge to provide £50 million annually over the next decade.

READ MORE: Scottish Budget: How much humiliation can the Greens take?

Some £63 million has also been stripped from the Future Transport Fund, while Scottish Forestry has seen a reduction in funding of £33.4 million.

Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton hit out at the Scottish Greens, whose co-leaders serve as Government ministers as a result of the Bute House Agreement.

"Every Green MSP who backs this Budget is demonstrating that they care more about nationalism than they do the health of our planet," he said.

"Those MSPs are delusional if they think this Budget is a step along the road of tackling the climate emergency.

"They are lining up to praise a Budget which will mean more use of petrol cars, more use of oil and gas, and more sewage in our rivers.

READ MORE: Scottish Budget: £200m cut to housing condemned amid homeless crisis

"Millions of Scots are concerned that not enough is being done to tackle the climate emergency.

"What is the point of Green MSPs if they won't stand up against brutal cuts to funding for electric car infrastructure or woodland planting?"

Scottish Conservative energy spokesman Douglas Lumsden attacked the Government over its cuts to the Just Transition Fund in the wake of news that Grangemouth will stop operating as a refinery in 2025.

READ MORE: Scottish Budget: Major job losses as axe falls on public services

"Slashing the Just Transition Fund by more than 75% is a clear sign that the SNP-Green Government are not interested in supporting vital jobs right across Scotland, including at Grangemouth and the north east," he said.

"The 10-year fund was used as an excuse to hammer oil and gas, demonising the industry and the 90,000-plus jobs it supports across Scotland.

"But it's now as thin and insubstantial as the rhetoric we hear from SNP-Green minister on reaching net zero.

"These brutal cuts to the net zero budget arrive just months after the SNP rowed back on an £80 million investment in the Scottish carbon capture and storage cluster, which has been backed wholeheartedly by the UK Government."

The cuts were announced in yesterday's budget.

There was further bad news for public transport users today with the announcement that rail fares would increase by an inflation busting 8.7% in April.

Speaking to the PA news agency, co-leader Patrick Harvie said: "To take rail for example, there is a slight drop in the current financial year to the next.

"But that's against a backdrop of a substantial increase in rail investment since pre-pandemic levels.

"We're still spending significantly more on rail than we were pre-pandemic.

"And we're doing so in creative ways like continuing with the trial on removing peak rail fares.

"There's a huge amount that we are delivering which some of our opponents - who were cheerleaders for austerity not so many years ago - will pick out individual details out of context to try and paint a misleading picture.

"I don't think we need to take that very seriously."

On the rail fares rise by 8.7% Mr Cole-Hamilton added:  “This is a blow for commuters who will see the cost of getting to work rise.

“It's a blow for everyone who cares about the environment because it will force more people on to our roads.

“And it's a blow for those on low incomes who have little choice how they get around the country.

“The Scottish Government can't seem to resist shooting themselves in the foot.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see fares cut, new options for flexible season tickets and for the government to work with councils to explore new lines, particularly in areas that suffer from poor public transport links.”

The fares rise is the third rail fire hike by the Scottish Government since the Bute House Agreement between the SNP and Greens in August 2021.

Fares increased in July 2023 by 4.8% and also went up by 3.8% in January 2022.However, the Greens were behind a move to remove more expensive peak time fares with the move being brought in last October. 

Today the Scottish Government announced it will extend the scheme scrapping peak fares for a further three months.