Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 30
30
Accepted
In addition to working with local authorities, the Department for Transport and the Department for...
Conclusion
In addition to working with local authorities, the Department for Transport and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs needs to ensure it is working with other sectors with either an interest in, or an influence on, air quality, such as the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.53 Clean Air in London also highlighted to us the need to view the Government’s plans, spending and action, or lack thereof, to tackle air pollution in the wider context of: ‘One air’, covering both local air pollution and greenhouse gases.54 Similarly, UK100 highlighted the potential benefits of taking an integrated approach to clean air and net zero, while also warning that there are some areas where local authorities will need to carefully consider their approaches to ensure that policies do not have unintended consequences – as experienced with the promotion of diesel vehicles as more fuel efficient, which led to increased levels of NO2, worsening local air quality.55
Government Response Summary
The government agrees and has consulted on a revised National Air Pollution Control Programme (NAPCP) with actionable measures to deliver compliance with the 2030 targets and ensure full integration between different areas of responsibility.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
5. PAC conclusion: Government is not yet taking a sufficiently integrated approach to tackling the problem of poor air quality. 5. PAC recommendation: The update to the National Air Pollution Control Programme should set out how government will ensure full integration between the different areas of responsibility with an impact on air quality. 5.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation Recommendation implemented 5.2 The government has consulted on a revised National Air Pollution Control Programme (NAPCP) which includes robust actionable measures for further consideration to deliver compliance with the 2030 targets for all air pollutants. Responses to the consultation are currently being carefully considered. Strong governance arrangements regarding Air Quality policies are already in place. 5.3 The draft revised NAPCP sets out wide-ranging policies and measures to be considered further to drive emission reductions across to meet the 2030 emission reduction ceilings for five key pollutants. These sectors include domestic combustion, industry, agriculture and transport. It is based on analysis that includes estimates of pollutant emissions reductions of existing decarbonisation policies as well as air pollution measures. 5.4 The responsibility for these measures rests with different departments across government. As the NAPCP is UK wide, the government has also included measures which are the responsibility of Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive. 5.5 In particular, the government took an integrated approach by making sure DfT and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) work closely together. Policies and proposals relating to road transport and decarbonisation have been considered from the following strategies: • the Net Zero Strategy (HM Government) • the Reducing Car Use for a healthier, fairer and Greener Scotland • the Clean Air plan for Wales and the Net Zero Wales: Carbon budget 2 5.6 The draft revised NAPCP was subject to a six-week consultation, that ran from 25 July to 4 September 2022. All consultation responses are currently being carefully considered.