Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 7
7
Acknowledged
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence...
Conclusion
On the basis of a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General, we took evidence from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the Department for Transport, and National Highways on their work to tackle poor air quality in England.1 Our report covers both the Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Programme (the Programme) and work to address other air pollutants.
Government Response Summary
Acknowledges the committee's report and provides background information on the government's approach to tackling air quality, including the NO2 programme, Clean Air Zones, and funding for local authorities and the Strategic Road Network.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
Twenty-second Report of Session 2022-23 Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Department for Transport (Joint Air Quality Unit) Tackling local air quality breaches Introduction from the Committee The UK has legal air quality limits for major pollutants at a local and national level. The UK complied with most of these legal limits between 2010 and 2019 with the exception of the nitrogen dioxide (NO ) annual mean concentration limit, for which there have been 2 longstanding breaches. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for Transport (DfT) have established the Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU) to oversee delivery of government’s plans to achieve compliance with air quality targets. Measures to tackle NO pollution include bus retrofit and traffic management schemes, and in 2 some areas, Clean Air Zones (CAZs) where vehicle owners are required to pay a charge if their vehicle does not meet a certain emissions standard. The government has, through its NO programme, directed 64 local authorities to take action to improve air quality. It has also 2 commissioned National Highways to examine breaches on the Strategic Road Network in England. As at May 2022, a lifetime budget of £883 million has been committed to the Programme to support local authorities. Separately government has spent £39 million to improve air quality on the Strategic Road Network from 2015–16 to 2019–20. Government published a Clean Air Strategy in January 2019 outlining its approach to air quality more broadly. At the time we took evidence government expected to publish an update of its National Air Pollution Control Programme in September 2022 to set out the measures that will be required for the UK to meet its 2030 national emissions limits. Based on a report by the National Audit Office, the Committee took evidence on Monday 27 June 2022 from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Department for Transport (Joint Air Quality Unit). The Committee published its report on 26 October 2022. This is the government’s response to the Committee’s report. Relevant reports • NAO report: Tackling local breaches of air quality – Session 2022-23 (HC 66) • PAC report: Tackling local air quality breaches – Session 2022-23 (HC 37)