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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people live in areas with air pollution levels above legal limits in England.

Defra does not estimate the number of people living in areas with air pollution levels above legal limits in England because populations are highly mobile. An individual’s daily exposure will depend on where they spend their time and how they travel.

In accordance with the Air Quality Standards Regulations (2010), Defra undertakes an annual assessment of air pollutants based on monitoring and supplementary modelling for all regions in England. This includes an assessment of trends and spatial distribution, together with information on any pollution events during the year. The latest report highlights how the United Kingdom is compliant with the limit values for all pollutants except nitrogen dioxide, and compliant with all target values except for BaP and nickel; accessible here: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/annualreport/