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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Unicef Healthy air for every child: A call for national action, published on 5 February; and what steps, if any, they intend to take in response to its recommendations, in particular the recommendation to set up a “Little Lungs Fund” of £215 million to pay for measures that specifically reduce children’s exposure to toxic air.

The Secretaries of State for Environment and Health recently attended the Clean Air Summit, at which a number of representatives of UNICEF were also present. UNICEF’s representatives used this opportunity to highlight findings of their report and to discuss its recommendations to reduce the impact of air pollution on the most vulnerable members of society, including our children. The claims in the UNICEF report are currently being assessed by the government.

Our Clean Air Strategy is clear that children are impacted by air pollution more than the general population, and all the measures set out in the Strategy will reduce emissions of pollution, improving public health. The Government has committed £3.5bn overall to deliver actions across all sectors and achieve cleaner air for people of all ages, including children.