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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he made of the potential merits of setting a target of 5 micrograms per cubic metre (μg m-3) to be met across England by 2030 in line with 2021 WHO Global Air Quality Guidelines; and for what reason he did not set that target.

We are taking an evidence-led approach to set targets which are stretching, achievable and appropriate for our national circumstances. Our evidence indicates that a level of 5 μgm^-3 would be impossible to achieve in many locations due to the level of natural PM_2.5 and pollution blown in from outside the country. Even in the absence of all man-made emissions of PM_2.5 from within the UK, modelling indicates that concentrations of PM_2.5 would still likely exceed 5 μgm^-3. The cost-benefit-analysis, which assesses the merits of setting a more ambitious target, will be published with the evidence pack in due course.