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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2026 to Question 37591, how her Department’s responsibilities for air pollution from human activity and natural sources interface with the Department for Transport's responsibilities for volcanic disruption, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government's wildfire leadership and the UK Health Security Agency’s public health responsibilities; and which Minister is responsible for authorising and proactively distributing public-health warnings to news media about wildfire smoke and volcanic ash or gases affecting ground-level air quality in England separately from forecasts and subscriber notifications.

Each Department has processes in place to manage the incidents mentioned. Departments will also work with relevant Local Resilience Forums to manage public health risks and communications.

If wildfire or volcanic activity is measured through our air quality monitoring network, it can trigger an air pollution alert.