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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many local authority areas breached legal limits for nitrogen dioxide in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022.

The Air Quality Standards Regulations set annual mean and one hour limit values for nitrogen dioxide (NO₂). In both 2020 and 2021, all local authority areas were compliant with the one hour limit value for NO₂. The number of local authority areas that exceeded the annual mean limit value for NO₂ were:

a) 13 in 2020 (these are 9 in London, 3 in England outside of London and 1 in Wales); and

b) 23 in 2021 (these are 14 in London, 7 in England outside of London and 1 in each of Scotland and Wales).

The increase in exceedances in 2021 is likely due to an increase in road traffic levels following the easing of Covid-19 restrictions during 2021. The national assessment of compliance against air quality limit values for 2022 will be published in September 2023.

In London, responsibility for holding local authorities to account for these exceedances rests with the Mayor. In Scotland and Wales it sits with the respective devolved administrations.