Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of domestic wood burners on public health.

The Chief Medical Officer’s 2022 annual report on air pollution highlighted that wood burning, particularly in urban locations, significantly worsens local air quality and has links to asthma and poor respiratory health.

The Government recognises that it is important we take action to reduce emissions from domestic burning, and the impact on the health of those in homes which burn and their neighbours. The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is currently evaluating a number of options to reduce emissions of fine particulate matter, including options for reducing emissions from domestic burning. We will support the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in developing a series of interventions to reduce emissions so that everyone’s exposure to air pollution is reduced.