Traffic-related Air Pollution Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
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Traffic-related Air Pollution
Baroness Jones of Whitchurch Excerpts(2 years ago)
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Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Lab)
My Lords, the Government’s own watchdog, the Office for Environmental Protection, said that the Government’s proposed PM2.5 air pollution targets are “unambitious” and
“lack sufficient urgency to reflect the scale of change needed”.
What message does that send to the one in five people in the UK living with respiratory conditions?
Lord Benyon (Con)
The noble Baroness will be pleased to know that our ambitious targets under the Environment Act will be set out under the environmental improvement plan, which will include really stretching targets on the most damaging pollutants. There has been a good news story in the last decade about how we have reduced them, but that is not enough, and she is right to say that this still affects the health and life chances of many people, particularly some in deprived areas. This is about making sure that local authorities have the funds necessary to introduce schemes, and about having stretching national targets that will be respected around the world.