Thank you for contacting me about air quality.
Air pollution is the biggest single environmental threat to public health and Ministers are continuing to take robust action to improve air quality and minimise public health impacts. Air pollution has reduced significantly since 2010: emissions of nitrogen dioxide have fallen by 44 per cent, sulphur emissions have fallen by 70 per cent and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) emissions have fallen by 18 per cent.
I am aware that the Clean Air (Human Rights) Bill recently completed its passage in the House of Lords and is now awaiting Second Reading in the House of Commons. While Ministers appreciate the Bill’s intentions, I am assured that the Government already has a comprehensive legal framework through which a wide range of actions are being taken to drive down pollutants and their damaging effects on people and the environment.]
Through the Environment Act 2021, the Government is continuing to improve air quality with a target to have an annual mean concentration target for PM2.5 levels at 10 µg per m3 or below by 2040, as well as a target to reduce population exposure to PM2.5 by 35 per cent by 2040 (compared to 2018). I understand that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs believes that these levels cannot be achieved by 2030 but can by 2040.
The Government has taken action to reduce emissions from domestic burning and introduced legislation in 2021 to phase out the sale of the most polluting solid fuels (wet wood, bituminous (house) coal and high sulphur manufactured solid fuels) used in domestic burning.
Further, Ministers have driven innovative solutions to improve air quality across a range of sectors, including funding local authorities to use innovative solutions to tackle air quality problems in their local areas through the Air Quality Grant scheme. The Government has more than doubled the funding paid to local authorities through the 21/22 grant scheme to £11.6 million and is now assessing bids for the 22/23 round of funding. Since 2010 more than £42 million has been awarded through the scheme, across almost 500 projects. £883 million
has also been made available to affected local authorities to deliver cleaner transport and improve air quality.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.