Tackling local air quality breaches

The UK has air quality targets which specify legal limits of major pollutants at a local and a national level. While emissions of most air pollutants have been falling in recent decades, air quality continues to cause significant health, economic and environmental risks, and the UK is not currently meeting its statutory obligations for local … Show more

The UK has air quality targets which specify legal limits of major pollutants at a local and a national level. While emissions of most air pollutants have been falling in recent decades, air quality continues to cause significant health, economic and environmental risks, and the UK is not currently meeting its statutory obligations for local concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Government aims to tackle NO2 breaches through a programme of measures led by local authorities and by National Highways. Measures include bus retrofit schemes and speed restrictions, and in some areas, Clean Air Zones where vehicle owners are required to pay a charge if their vehicle does not meet a certain emissions standard. The Committee will question the senior responsible officials at Defra, DfT and Highways England on the government’s approach to clean air and how effectively it is tackling breaches of local air quality limits , including: · Whether government’s programme to tackle breaches of local air quality limits is well set; · The progress government has made in delivering this programme and what has been spent, and · How government is managing ongoing risks to tackling local breaches of air quality. If you have evidence on these issues please submit it here by 6pm Monday 20 June. Show less