Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 10
10
Acknowledged
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for Transport (DfT)...
Conclusion
The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Department for Transport (DfT) established the Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU) in 2016 to oversee delivery of government’s plans to achieve compliance with NO2 limits. The NO2 Programme is government’s largest dedicated air quality initiative and involves two main elements: • Ministerial Directions to specified local authorities requiring them to assess potential breaches in their local area, and identify and implement measures to tackle the problem, with support and funding provided by JAQU; and • work by National Highways, a government-owned company, to assess and tackle breaches on England’s motorways and certain major A-roads known as the Strategic Road Network.4
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledges the role of the Joint Air Quality Unit (JAQU) and the NO2 Programme in addressing air quality issues.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
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.