Recommendation 10

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