Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on indoor air quality, ventilation, and learning environments in schools, of different cooling methods, including (1) air conditioning, (2) mechanical ventilation, and (3) other cooling interventions; and whether they will ensure capital investment programmes in schools are required to deliver improvements in indoor air quality, not just thermal comfort.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are improving infrastructure and strengthening resilience across the education estate through our Education Estates Strategy.

The strategy includes a new £710 million Renewal and Retrofit Programme to improve condition and climate resilience, investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance and improvement of schools and colleges. The department is also investing almost £20 billion in the School Rebuilding Programme through to 2034/35, delivering climate‑resilient buildings at over 750 schools.

We have recently launched a new construction framework and updated design standards, setting our requirements for all new and refurbished school buildings delivered by the department. These standards promote integrated environmental design and cover overheating risk assessments, cross-ventilation, indoor air quality and the use of cooling through ground-source heat pumps.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impacts on indoor air quality of the practice of closing windows while running air conditioning units; and whether any such assessment informs their policy around the installation of air conditioning units in schools.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are improving infrastructure and strengthening resilience across the education estate through our Education Estates Strategy.

The strategy includes a new £710 million Renewal and Retrofit Programme to improve condition and climate resilience, investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance and improvement of schools and colleges. The department is also investing almost £20 billion in the School Rebuilding Programme through to 2034/35, delivering climate‑resilient buildings at over 750 schools.

We have recently launched a new construction framework and updated design standards, setting our requirements for all new and refurbished school buildings delivered by the department. These standards promote integrated environmental design and cover overheating risk assessments, cross-ventilation, indoor air quality and the use of cooling through ground-source heat pumps.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that procurement and design standards for cooling systems in schools distinguish between systems that cool and recirculate indoor air and those that combine cooling with fresh-air ventilation and effective air filtration.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are improving infrastructure and strengthening resilience across the education estate through our Education Estates Strategy.

The strategy includes a new £710 million Renewal and Retrofit Programme to improve condition and climate resilience, investing almost £3 billion per year by 2034/35 in capital maintenance and improvement of schools and colleges. The department is also investing almost £20 billion in the School Rebuilding Programme through to 2034/35, delivering climate‑resilient buildings at over 750 schools.

We have recently launched a new construction framework and updated design standards, setting our requirements for all new and refurbished school buildings delivered by the department. These standards promote integrated environmental design and cover overheating risk assessments, cross-ventilation, indoor air quality and the use of cooling through ground-source heat pumps.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of evidence from the Schools’ Air Quality Monitoring for Health and Education project which reports that ventilation rates in the average classroom are significantly below the ventilation rates recommended for modern office environments by the British Council for Offices.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department recognises that good ventilation and air quality are essential for maintaining a healthy learning environment and we regularly review the scientific evidence on ventilation and air quality in schools. The department supported the School Air Quality Monitoring for Health and Education project and has seen the value in the data that has been published.

Guidance published by the department on ventilation and indoor air quality in education and childcare settings is available on GOV.UK. In addition, the department has recently launched a new construction framework and updated design standards, setting out requirements for all new and refurbished school buildings delivered by the department. These standards cover air quality and ventilation, reflecting industry standards and best practice.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much of the £1.5 billion Estates Safety Fund funding announced on 9 September will be allocated towards implementing the conclusion in the Module 3 report from the UK Covid-19 Inquiry that "in the short term, the use of HEPA filters should be prioritised within healthcare across the UK".

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Estates Safety Fund schemes were selected by the National Health Service working with trusts and integrated care boards to prioritise the most urgent operational and safety risks, including ventilation requirements, and the schemes that will make the greatest difference to patients and staff.

No data is held on the proportion of the funding that will be directed towards the use of high-efficiency particulate air filters.