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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of schoolchildren exposed to high levels of air pollution in 2019.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Ministers across Government Departments about air pollution and how to reduce it.

No estimate has been made by the Government. Local authorities are best placed to target action to improve local air quality, and are required to review and assess local air quality and to take action where there are high levels of air pollution. They have discretionary powers to restrict car access to schools and enforce anti-idling laws outside schools. In March this year Public Health England published the report Review of interventions to improve outdoor air quality and public health. This recommended that local authorities, as part of their local Review of interventions to improve outdoor air quality and public health consider a range of interventions to reduce air pollution in the vicinity of schools and reduce children’s exposure accordingly.

The Government’s Air Quality Grant Programme provides funding to local authorities for projects in local communities to tackle air pollution and reduce emissions which may include action targeting schools. The Government has awarded over £60 million in funding since the air quality grant started in 1997, including £3 million in 2018/19.

The following air quality grant award money has been allocated specifically to improve air quality around schools since 2017:

2016/17

• London Borough of Islington Local school focused awareness and engagement campaign (£50,000).
• Sheffield City Council Air Aware communications campaign (engaging local GPs, community groups and schools) (£50,000)

2017/18

• Blaby District Council Schools and SMEs behavioural change and action plan (£59,000).
• Canterbury City Council Awareness campaign in schools and community on transport and domestic burning stoves (£33,354).
• East Sussex County Council (with West Sussex, Brighton, Chichester, Horsham, Adur, Crawley, Mid Sussex, Worthing, Lewes) Action plan for schools and businesses in AQMAs (£105,900).
• Spelthorne Borough Council (Surrey Air Alliance) Awareness campaign in schools across the county (£145,188).

2018/19

• Colchester Borough Council Engagement and awareness project throughout the transport network to promote air quality awareness and transport choices in schools (£249,100)
• Hertsmere Borough Council Cleaner Air 4 Hertsmere Schools awareness project to influence travel behaviour (£37,500).
• Islington London Borough Council NO2 indoor study in school to test sensor performance and efficiency of filter systems (£20,000)
• Slough Borough Council Testing of Vaisla sensors around schools to monitor AQ and use data to promote behaviour change (£99,125).