Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
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 (a) work with the Mayor of London and (b) otherwise help improve air quality in London.
Answered by Robbie Moore
The Mayor of London is responsible for air quality in London and has devolved powers under the Environment Act 1995 allowing him to require London boroughs to take action to address local air pollution. The Mayor has received over £6.6bn of funding for transport in London since 2020, and London authorities have received further funding for specific air quality projects totalling almost £102m.
Nationally, we are driving down emissions and concentrations of the most harmful air pollutants and reducing their impact on public health and the environment. 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.
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: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will (a) issue guidance and (b) provide resources to local authorities to help tackle household air pollution.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The Government is taking significant and wide-ranging action to drive improvements to air quality, as set out in our Environmental Improvement Plan, including by providing over £883 million to help local authorities develop and implement local nitrogen dioxide reduction plans, and to support those impacted by these plans.
The Government has published guidance for private and social landlords on understanding and addressing the health risks of damp and mould, following the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak from a severe respiratory condition due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home, and is additionally investing £10 million into the Healthy Homes pilots, working with selected local authorities to test measures to improve enforcement on damp and mould in private rented sector housing, while boosting the capability and capacity of enforcement teams in the greatest areas of housing and health need. Further information on the guidance for private and social landlords is available at the following link:
Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make a comparative estimate of the average contribution to air pollution of (a) vehicles on the M4 and (b) air traffic at Heathrow.
Answered by Anthony Browne
The Department for Transport has no plans to make a comparative estimate of the average contribution to air pollution from vehicles on the M4 and from air traffic at Heathrow.
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, with reference to the Answer of 15 May 2023 to Question 183293 on Air Pollution, what guidance his Department has published on the use of low-cost sensors in measuring outdoor air pollutants.
Answered by Robbie Moore
In addition to information provided in the Local Air Quality Management Technical Guidance 2022, Defra’s Air Quality Expert Group has provided advice, made available on UK Air, on the use of ‘low-cost‘ air pollution sensors. Defra also funded a project in 2022 to develop a publicly available specification (PAS) on the use of low-cost sensors, which is due to be published through the British Standards Institute imminently.
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, if he will take additional steps to increase public awareness of how people can protect themselves from the impacts of air pollution.
Answered by Robbie Moore
The Government is undertaking a comprehensive review of how we communicate air quality information to ensure members of the public, and vulnerable groups in particular, have what they need protect themselves and understand their impact on air quality. This review is being undertaken by the Air Quality Information Systems steering group; the group’s recommendations will be published summer 2024.
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 assessment they have made of the Air Pollution and Inequalities in London report published on 30 June 2023 and commissioned by Greater London Authority, which found that Black people in London are more likely to live in areas with more polluted air.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
Air quality matters in London are devolved to the Mayor of London.
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 assessment they have made of the evidence that Black communities in London are more likely to breathe illegal levels of air pollution than White or Asian communities.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
Air quality matters in London are devolved to the Mayor of London.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to tackle (a) workforce sickness and (b) reduced productivity due to air pollution.
Answered by Mims Davies
The Joint DWP and DHSC Work & Health Directorate was set up in 2015 in recognition of the significant link between work and health and to reflect the shared agenda of boosting employment opportunities for disabled people and people with health conditions. This not only benefits people’s health and wealth, but also the UK economy through increased productivity and reduced economic inactivity.
The Government therefore has an ambitious programme of initiatives to support disabled people and people with health conditions, including conditions linked to air pollution, to start, stay and succeed in work. These include: the Work and Health Programme; Access to Work grants; Disability Confident; a digital information service for employers; Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres; and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care.
Building on existing provision and the £2 billion investment announced at the Spring Budget, we announced a new package of support in Autumn Statement 2023 to: double the number of places on the Universal Support employment programme; launch WorkWell in approximately 15 pilot areas; and explore new ways of providing individuals receiving a fit note with timely access to support, alongside a newly established occupational health taskforce.
The Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU) was established as a joint venture between Defra and the DfT to deliver the Government’s NO2 reduction strategies and they have provided this Department with the following information.
The UK is compliant with all its current domestic and international emission reduction commitments. This includes emissions of ammonia (with the inclusion of an approved adjustment), non-methane volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and sulphur dioxide.
However, the Government recognises there is more to do to protect people and the environment from the effects of air pollution, which 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, through which we set two ambitious new targets for PM2.5, the pollutant most damaging to human health. Our innovative dual-target approach will improve public health by tackling areas where concentrations are highest as well as driving action to reduce exposure for all, maximising public health benefit.
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, with reference to the Answer of 30 November 2021 to Question 81865 on Air Pollution, whether he plans to update the Daily Air Quality Index.
Answered by Robbie Moore
Reviewing the Daily Air Quality Index is one component of the broader Air Quality Information System review scope. We are in the process of awarding a contract to a supplier to complete an evaluation assessing the appropriateness and effectiveness of the index.
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 assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policies of the work undertaken by the (a) Forum for International Cooperation on Air Pollution and (b) Task Force for International Cooperation on Air Pollution on tacking air quality.
Answered by Robbie Moore
The Forum for International Cooperation Air Pollution was set up by the United Kingdom and Sweden under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, Convention for Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, which the UK is a founding member. The UK and Sweden agreed to co-chair the Forum under the Strategic Partnership agreement between the UK and Sweden. The forum aims to help all countries reduce and prevent air pollution around the world, utilising expertise and experience of UNECE Member-States and other Partners to provide relevant scientific, technical, and policy information. The workplan for the Forum is agreed under the annual workplans of the UNECE Air Convention, and subject to available resources.