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 has made of of the potential merits of introducing traffic exclusion zones near (a) schools, (b) nurseries and (c) playgrounds to help reduce children’s exposure to exhaust fumes.

Local authorities and the Mayor for London already have powers regarding traffic and roads. Their local knowledge and interaction with the communities that they serve mean that they are better able to know the issues on ground in detail, and the solutions that may be necessary or appropriate to the locality.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs sets out the national policy framework for tackling harmful air pollution.