Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 22 October 2024 to Question 9455 on Air Pollution: Poverty, if he will take steps to reduce the number of schools in England that are in areas exceeding World Health Organisation guidelines for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations.

The Government is determined to improve air quality and protect children from the harms of pollution, and is committed to meeting the legal targets for air quality, including the targets recently set under the Environment Act 2021. The Department of Health and Social Care is working across Government to achieve this, including with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs on their Clean Air Strategy to reduce emissions and reduce harms associated with air pollution.

Local air quality is the responsibility of local authorities, who should prepare air quality action plans to ensure the level of pollutants is reduced, if it is not compliant with relevant limits. Local authorities are responsible for monitoring air quality in their areas and will decide where to undertake their monitoring, which may be around schools. The Government will continue to work with local authorities to support their work on improving air quality. Active Travel England and the Department for Transport are working on guidance for local authorities to help them implement School Streets vehicle access restrictions effectively.