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 the Centre for Cities Cities Outlook 2020, published on 27 January; and in particular, whether there is a "south–north" divide in air quality in the UK.

We are aware of the Centre for Cities report and are considering its evidence and findings. Improving air quality is a top priority for this Government and we are committed to take action to drive down overall emissions of air pollutants across the UK and reduce human exposure to local concentrations of pollutants.

Levels of air pollution in the UK vary significantly depending on the specific pollutant, location, time of day and season. There are many factors that contribute to levels of air pollution at a local level but proximity to the European continent also plays a role particularly for the pollutant of greatest harm to human health, PM2.5. Around a third of the UK PM2.5 can be from sources outside of the UK (up to 50% on specific days). Many additional factors also contribute such as weather conditions and population density but South East areas of England are more affected by transboundary pollution in comparison to more north westerly regions of the UK.

To improve air quality across the UK, the Government have already put in place a £3.5 billion plan to reduce harmful emissions from road transport and are supporting 61 English local authorities in both the North and the South of England to reduce nitrogen dioxide. We have also published the Clean Air Strategy (CAS) which sets out comprehensive action to reduce the national emissions of pollutants, reduce background pollution, and minimise human exposure to harmful concentrations of pollution. The CAS also seeks to drive down emissions of PM2.5 across the UK and provide stronger powers to tackle it in local areas where there is a problem. Furthermore, the forthcoming Environment Bill will introduce measures to ensure both neighbouring local authorities and relevant public authorities work collaboratively and cooperate to tackle the problem of regional air pollution. To tackle transboundary pollution we are increasing our International engagement activity. The Bill will also introduce a duty to set a target for concentration levels of PM2.5 in ambient air as well as a duty to set an additional long-term target on air quality, going beyond EU requirements and delivering significant health benefits for our citizens