Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking with the Cabinet Office to ensure that public sector fleet operators utilise alternative fuels such as LPG in order to achieve local air quality targets.

Improving air quality is a government wide issue. In addition to engaging at local, national, European and international level to improve air quality, we are also taking action to ensure that Government leads by example on this issue, for instance by supporting reductions in NO₂ and other pollutants through the Government’s operations and purchasing power.

In line with the National Air Quality Plan for nitrogen dioxide published in December 2015, we are currently updating the Government Buying Standards (GBS) for Transport to ensure that NOx emissions are taken into account in procurement decisions. Taking a technology neutral approach focussing on the emissions outcome, the revised GBS will reward manufacturers who reduce the carbon and NOx emissions of their vehicles. This will send a clear message to the market that it is not only carbon emissions that need to be reduced but also vehicle pollutant emissions.