Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October 2024 to Question 7788 on Air Pollution, if his Department will take steps to amend clean air targets to bring the UK in line with the European Union's Ambient Air Quality Directive.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to cleaning up our air and protecting the public from the harm of pollution. We recognise the importance of ambitious yet achievable air quality targets, supported by robust delivery plans, which is why the Government has launched a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan to revise our plan for significantly improving the environment including for air quality.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled, Government launches rapid review to meet Environment Act targets, published on 30 July 2024, whether the rapid review of the Environment Improvement Plan was completed by the end of 2024; and what his planned timetable is to publish the new statutory plan.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has concluded the review of Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) which is informing the development of a revised EIP. The Government will publish a statement of rapid review key findings in early 2025, to be followed by publication of a revised EIP.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he will publish the (a) interim and (b) final report from the Air Quality Information System Review.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Air Quality Information System Review has now concluded. The final report and accompanying reports will be published shortly.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
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 impact of emissions of nitrogen dioxide from ships at English ports on the annual mean concentration limits set out in the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Domestic shipping contributed 11% to total UK nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions in 2022. The Air Quality Plan for NO2 addresses the primary cause of exceedances of the concentration limits set by the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 (AQSR): emissions from road transport.
The UK has been at the forefront of international action to reduce NO2 emissions from shipping through work at the International Maritime Organization, and from 2021 the UK gained additional protection as additional restrictions on NOx emissions came into force in the North Sea Emission Control Area.