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

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards meeting their air quality improvement targets; and what assessment they have made of calls by members of the medical profession, such as in the letter to the Minister for Agri-Innovation and Climate Adaptation on 27 June 2022, for the introduction of more stringent targets.

The UK’s Air Quality Standards Regulations require reporting of ambient air quality data on an annual basis. The annual report is published via the UK-AIR website (link: https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/annualreport/). The UK has domestic and international emission reduction commitments for NOx, SO2, NMVOCs, NH3 and PM2.5 for 2020-29 and 2030. These are reported on annually via our national statistics on the gov.uk and National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory websites.

We have followed an evidence-based process to set the PM_2.5 targets, working closely with internationally recognised experts and stakeholders. The views of medical professionals have been given due consideration, via input from the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution and the consultation process - our official response has been published. The wording of the Environment Act is clear; the Secretary of State must be satisfied that the targets can be met.