Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of poor air quality on marginalised communities.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This is an issue that Defra takes seriously, which is why we commissioned our independent Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) to examine the evidence on air pollution disparities across different communities and regions in the UK.

Their report demonstrates spatial differences in pollution emissions and concentrations, evidencing that low income and deprived communities often live in areas with higher air pollution concentrations and higher local emissions, and highlighting links between lower quality of housing and increased exposure to indoor air pollution.

The report provides a number of recommendations to address this complex challenge, which the department is now considering.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on meeting the World Health Organization's 2021 global air quality guidelines.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to cleaning up our air. We consider the World Health Organization's guidelines when reviewing our own targets and are making progress towards meeting them. We publish our progress against our current targets in the Air Pollution in the UK report each September, and last week we published updated statistics on air pollution concentrations in 2024 based on our monitoring data.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on reducing levels of (a) long-term and (b) short-term exposure to air pollution.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Long-term and short-term exposure to most air pollutants has reduced over the past 20 years. Significant reductions in annual average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter have been achieved over this period. More information on these can be found in our annual Air Quality Accredited Official Statistic publication: Air quality statistics - GOV.UK/

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to deliver a cross-departmental indoor air quality strategy.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department engages with departments from across the Government on ways to reduce the health impacts of both indoor and outdoor air quality. This includes addressing damp and mould in homes through the Government’s action on social housing standards.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the potential merits of a UK-wide public health clean air campaign on (a) (i) short-term and (ii) long-term air pollution exposure, (b) sources of (A) indoor and (B) outdoor air pollution and (c) practical advice to reduce personal exposure.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at both an official and ministerial level to tackle air pollution. Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs most recently met on air quality in May 2025.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with support from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), a has undertaken an Air Quality Information Systems review, the final report of which was published in March 2025. This was a comprehensive review into the way air quality information is communicated to the public, including short-term and long-term exposure, indoor and outdoor air pollution, and provision of advice for the public on how to reduce their exposure and contribution to air pollution.

Following this report, we will work with the UKHSA and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to improve awareness of air pollution and the associated health impacts.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on cross-Government plans to help tackle air pollution.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care works closely with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at both an official and ministerial level to tackle air pollution. Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs most recently met on air quality in May 2025.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with support from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), a has undertaken an Air Quality Information Systems review, the final report of which was published in March 2025. This was a comprehensive review into the way air quality information is communicated to the public, including short-term and long-term exposure, indoor and outdoor air pollution, and provision of advice for the public on how to reduce their exposure and contribution to air pollution.

Following this report, we will work with the UKHSA and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to improve awareness of air pollution and the associated health impacts.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve public awareness of (a) HPV vaccination, (b) regular cervical screening and (c) other cervical cancer prevention measures.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

On 19 June 2025, NHS England launched its first ever cervical cancer elimination creative campaign and communications toolkit for Cervical Screening Awareness Week, which took place between 19 and 24 June 2025. The campaign included digital resources that create a strong sense of shared responsibility and aim to increase awareness of the elimination goal, educate the public about human papillomavirus (HPV), and build confidence in the HPV vaccine and cervical screening.

In March 2025, NHS England published its Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England, setting out how the National Health Service will improve equitable uptake and coverage across HPV vaccination and cervical screening to meet the goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. Further information on the Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cervical-cancer-elimination-by-2040-plan-for-england/

NHS England will build on what is already working well to drive vaccination and screening uptake and coverage, focussing on five cross-cutting themes:

- increasing access;

- raising awareness;

- reducing inequalities;

- improving digital capabilities; and

- strengthening workforce capacity.

Ensuring that people are aware of, and understand the benefits of, HPV vaccination and cervical screening is crucial for informed decision making. Creating effective, nuanced, and culturally sensitive health communications relies on collaborative work with third sector partners and local communities.

NHS England will raise awareness of cervical cancer prevention offers through strategic, long-term and evidence-based communications.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the progress to meeting the World Health Organisation's 2030 strategy for (a) the elimination of cervical cancer, (b) 90 percent of girls vaccinated with HPV by age 15, (c) 70 percent of women screened by 35 years and again by 45 years and (d) 90 percent of women identified with cervical disease receiving treatment.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

NHS England published the Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England in March 2025, setting out how the National Health Service will improve equitable uptake and coverage across human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and cervical screening to meet the goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. Further information on the Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cervical-cancer-elimination-by-2040-plan-for-england/

Progress has been made against meeting the World Health Organization’s targets and the 2030 milestones.

76.7% of girls and 71.2% of boys aged 14 to 15 years old received the HPV vaccination by school Year 10 after catch-up, as of 2023/24. Although uptake is not currently where we would like it to be for cohorts affected by the pandemic, catch up opportunities will remain in place through School Aged Immunisation Service providers and general practices, until the age of 25 years old.

76.9% of women aged 35 to 39 years old have a screening test recorded before their 35th birthday. 75.9% of women aged 40 to 44 years old have been screened in the previous five years, again as of 2023/24.

88.3% of all cervical cancers received one or more forms of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and tumour removal treatment. This rose to more than 96% for cervical cancer at stages 1 to 3, as of 2022/23.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase (a) vaccination and (b) screening rates in areas with high health disparities.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department is working with NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to encourage high uptake of all immunisation and screening programmes, including in areas where coverage has historically been low.

The National Health Service is building on what is already working well to drive vaccination and screening uptake and coverage, focussing on five cross-cutting themes: increasing access; raising awareness; reducing inequalities; improving digital capabilities; and strengthening workforce capacity.

The NHS is also continuing to build on the understanding of barriers to and perceptions of vaccinations and screenings, identifying groups who may be at higher risk from diseases such as cervical cancer using national and local data, and developing inclusive material to better reach underserved communities through trusted voices.

The rates of uptake for many of our pre-school programmes have either increased or stabilised in the period of January to March 2025, compared to the previous quarter. Most notably, maternal pertussis vaccination rates have increased from 59% in May 2024 to nearly 73% in March 2025, in England. Uptake rates for maternal pertussis are now higher than at the start of the programme in October 2012.

However, while this is positive news that will provide more protection for our children in the future, there is clearly much more to do to stabilise and improve uptake. That is why we have set out actions to improve uptake in our 10-Year Health Plan for England and our strategy for Giving Every Child the Best Start in Life.

The UKHSA is also refreshing its immunisation inequalities strategy to provide a framework for action to ensure improved uptake in under vaccinated and underserved populations

Our Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England, sets out how the NHS will improve equitable uptake and coverage across human papilloma virus vaccination and cervical screening, to meet the goal to eliminate cervical cancer by 2040. The NHS is also planning to publish a Breast Screening Programme Uptake Improvement Plan to help address inequalities. Further information on the Cervical cancer elimination plan by 2040 – plan for England is available at the following link:

https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/cervical-cancer-elimination-by-2040-plan-for-england/