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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary State of Health on the correlation between air quality indoors and outdoors in terms of public health.

The Secretary of State regularly meets with cabinet colleagues to discuss a range of issues, including air quality. Whilst there haven’t been specific discussions regarding the correlation between air quality indoors and outdoors in terms of public health, Defra is working with Public Health England and DHSC to develop a better understanding of this complex issue. For example, Defra's Air Quality Expert Group, with support from members of the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, managed by PHE, will be producing a dedicated report on indoor air quality. This report will focus on fine particulate matter and volatile organic compounds as the pollutants which are most prevalent in indoor environments. In addition, Defra participated in a roundtable organised by the Chief Medical Officer and Government Chief Scientific Advisor on the issue of indoor air quality earlier this year.