Addressee: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs · Source location: Page 14, paragraph 26, point a
Defra should:
a) ensure that the update to the National Air Pollution Control Programme includes sufficient clarity on how proposed measures will enable the UK to achieve its 2030 targets and the timetable for implementation, given there are now eight years to the deadline, and policies will take time to develop and take effect
Response position:
Accepted
Delivery:
In progress
· Q4 2027-28
· Confirmed by NAO
Addressee: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs · Source location: Page 14, paragraph 26, point b
b) clarify its long-term (2040) ambitions for all major air pollutants, taking account of the plans of international partners, and identify interim (2030) objectives where these do not already exist
Response position:
Partially accepted
Delivery:
In progress
· Q4 2027-28
· Confirmed by NAO
Addressee: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department for Transport · Source location: Page 14, paragraph 27, point f
Defra, DfT and JAQU should: f) review and clarify interim milestones for the expected timetable for the remainder of the Programme, re-baselining to account for delays introduced by the COVID-19 pandemic
Response position:
Accepted
Delivery:
Implemented
· Q3 2022-23
· Confirmed by NAO
Addressee: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs · Source location: Page 14, paragraph 26, point c
c) improve the accessibility and usability of air quality information for the public
Response position:
Accepted
Delivery:
Implemented
· Q3 2025-26
· Confirmed by NAO
Addressee: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs · Source location: Page 14, paragraph 26, point d
d) collate information on government?s committed/actual spend on measures it expects to make a substantial contribution to improving air quality, alongside the expected/actual impact these measures are having
Response position:
Rejected
Delivery:
No implementation status recorded
Addressee: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs · Source location: Page 14, paragraph 26, point e
e) together with BEIS, clarify its framework for making decisions about the interdependencies between its work on air quality and Net Zero, and identify clear and specific senior responsibilities for handling the most significant trade-offs and opportunities
Response position:
Accepted
Delivery:
Implemented
· Q2 2023-24
· Confirmed by NAO
Addressee: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department for Transport · Source location: Page 14, paragraph 27, point g
g) collate consistent and complete information on progress against these milestones, including reasons for any further delays and carry out a periodic (at least six monthly) stock-take of progress to consider overall trends and any
solutions needed at a national or programme level
Response position:
Accepted
Delivery:
Implemented
· Q1 2023-24
· Confirmed by NAO
Addressee: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department for Transport · Source location: Page 14, paragraph 27, point h
h) publish six-monthly updates on the progress of the Programme, including
the measures local authorities expect to take, their expected implementation date and expected date of local compliance and consider encouraging local authorities to share an update of their progress publicly
Response position:
Partially accepted
Delivery:
Implemented
· Q4 2025-26
· Confirmed by NAO
Addressee: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Department for Transport · Source location: Page 15, paragraph 27, point i
i) Defra should set and agree with DfT, JAQU and National Highways the outline criteria for ?non-viable? measures. Defra should then publish these criteria. The Department for Transport, together with National Highways, should report on an annual basis on breaches where it considers there are no viable measures explaining what options were considered. This should cover no viable measures breaches both in local authorities and on the Strategic Road Network
Response position:
Accepted
Delivery:
In progress
· Q3 2026-27
· Confirmed by NAO
Addressee: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs · Source location: Page 15, paragraph 27, point j
j) review their approach to public engagement on Clean Air Zones to do more to ensure that there is good understanding across the country of the purpose of these zones, how and why charging regimes differ and to ensure that all road users are aware of how to check whether their vehicle is compliant and make payments if needed. As part of this, JAQU should seek to coordinate with the behaviour change and public engagement team for Net Zero within BEIS, to understand whether public engagement about Clean Air Zones can be amplified alongside wider messaging about Net Zero where there is overlap in the policy options
Response position:
Accepted
Delivery:
Implemented
· Q4 2022-23
· Confirmed by NAO