Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether protocols exist to warn the (a) general public and (b) susceptible individuals during periods of high levels of air pollution.
Answered by Robbie Moore
The Government makes a wide range of information available to the public through the UK-Air website and X feed. This includes a five-day forecast, the latest local measurements from our nationwide monitoring networks, and health advice informed by the work of the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants.
Air quality forecasts are communicated using the Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI). The DAQI informs the public about levels of air pollution in their area and provides health advice in the form of recommended actions that could be taken according to the level of air pollution for both the general public and susceptible individuals.
As part of the Air Quality Information System review, we are conducting an evaluation assessing the appropriateness and effectiveness of the current DAQI.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress her Department has made on implementing the 15 recommendations in the Chief Medical Officer's annual report 2022: Air Pollution published on 8 December 2022.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Government recognises that there is more to do to protect people and the environment from the effects of air pollution, including in some of the areas outlined in the Chief Medical Officer's Annual Report 2022. The Department of Health and Social Carecontinues to work collaboratively work across Government to address the impact of air pollution.
We are taking significant and wide-ranging action to drive improvements to air quality as set out in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Environmental Improvement Plan. The UK Health Security Agency’s Cleaner Air Programme also aims to help reduce people’s exposure to air pollution, tackle disparities in exposure and improve outcomes for all.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure compliance with (a) legal limits and (b) targets for (i) benzo[a]pyrene, (ii) nickel, (iii) nitrogen dioxide, (iv) ozone and (v) particulate matter.
Answered by Robbie Moore
We are delivering a wide range of actions to drive improvements to air quality:
We continually measure ambient concentrations of a wide range of air pollutants, including ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, particles, hydrocarbons, and metallic pollutants at over 500 urban, suburban, roadside, industrial and rural locations throughout the UK. In September 2023 we published the Air Pollution in the UK 2022 report providing the most comprehensive and complete analytical picture of the UK’s air pollution during 2022, at Air Pollution in the UK report - Defra, UK.
Asked by: Lord Woolley of Woodford (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Black Child Clean Air Report published by Global Black Maternal Health in June 2023, which indicated that almost half of all Black mothers do not feel educated on the foetal impact of air pollution exposure during pregnancy.
Answered by Lord Markham
While no specific assessment has been made, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are working with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs to review the Air Quality Information System to ensure members of the public, and vulnerable groups, have the information they need to protect themselves and understand their impact on air quality. UKHSA’s Cleaner Air Programme also aims to reduce people’s exposure to air pollution and achieve better outcomes for all, particularly for the most vulnerable populations including pregnant women and ethnic minority groups.
Asked by: Afzal Khan (Labour - Manchester Rusholme)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help reduce air pollution.
Answered by Robbie Moore
This Government has delivered significant reductions in emissions since 2010 – with emissions of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) falling by 24%, and nitrogen oxides down by 48%. We met our targets to reduce emissions for all five key pollutants in the latest reporting year.
Our Environmental Improvement Plan sets out how we will continue to drive down emissions from domestic burning, agriculture, transport, and industry – delivering cleaner air for all.
PM2.5 is the most harmful pollutant to human health, which is why we have set two new targets to drive down PM2.5 concentrations under the Environment Act 2021:
These targets mean that on average, people’s exposure to particulate matter will be cut by over a third by 2040, compared with 2018 levels.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the impact of air quality on the health of residents in Warwick and Leamington constituency.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution indicator, measured as PM2.5, represents the percentage of annual deaths from all causes in those aged 30 years old and older, attributed to PM2.5. In 2022, the latest year from which published data is available, the fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution was 5.5% for Warwickshire, and 5.5% for Warwick.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) produces the estimates of the fraction of mortality attributable to particulate air pollution in English local authorities and regions, as an indicator within the Public Health Outcomes Framework for England, published by the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. This framework is available at the following link:
The UKHSA provides the scientific secretariat to the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, an expert committee of the Department, which advises the Government on matters concerning the health effects of air pollutants. Further information on this committee is available at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/committee-on-the-medical-effects-of-air-pollutants-comeap
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department’s policies of UK Parliament's publication entitled POSTbrief54 Indoor Air Quality, published on 26 September 2023.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
No specific policy assessment has been made. However, as set out in the Chief Medical Officer’s Annual Report 2022 on air pollution, there is good evidence on the health risks associated with poor air quality, including indoor air. The Department continues to work collaboratively across government on both outdoor and indoor air quality.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance on indoor air pollution in 2020. This was designed to raise awareness of the importance of good air quality in people's homes and advise on how to achieve this.
Asked by: Bell Ribeiro-Addy (Labour - Clapham and Brixton Hill)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the impact of air pollution on people in poverty.
Answered by Robbie Moore
The Government recognises there is more to do to protect all people in our society and the environment from the effects of air pollution. This is why we are taking the significant and wide-ranging action to drive improvements to air quality as set out in our Environmental Improvement Plan 2023.
This action is supported by the Environment Act 2021, which makes sure that local authorities have the necessary powers to tackle emissions collaboratively in their local area to improve air quality. Through the Act we also introduced two new targets for fine particulate matter, the pollutant most damaging to human health, setting a maximum annual mean concentration target and a population exposure reduction target. This dual-target approach will improve public health for all by tackling the highest concentrations whilst ensuring all areas benefit from continuous improvement.
We continue to support local authorities in England to take action in their communities through the Local Air Quality Grant, which has awarded around £53 million to almost 500 projects since 2010.
Asked by: Lord Woolley of Woodford (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what funds are available for organisations that aim to reduce air pollution in England.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The Government has allocated £883 million of funding for local authorities under the 2017 UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Concentrations.
Defra also annually runs a Local Air Quality Grant to help local authorities across England reduce air pollution in their areas. This year we have committed to spending at least £6 million to fund projects targeting particulate matter, behavioural change campaigns and those aimed at reducing levels of NO2. The successful local authorities for this year will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish guidance on how people can protect themselves from the harms of air pollution.
Answered by Lord Markham
The Government makes a wide range of information available to the public through the UK-Air website and on social media. This includes a five-day forecast, latest local measurements from nationwide monitoring networks and health advice informed by the work of the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants.
Air quality forecasts are communicated using the Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI). The DAQI informs the public about air pollution levels in their area and provides health advice in the form of recommended actions that can be taken by the general public and susceptible individuals. As part of the Air Quality Information System review, the Government are conducting an evaluation assessing the appropriateness and effectiveness of the current DAQI.