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1606760

registered interest
date	23/03/2023
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Air Pollution: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the impact of air quality on the health and wellbeing of people under the age of 18.
tabling member constituency	Portsmouth South
tabling member printed	Stephen Morgan
uin	172493
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 03/04/2023 answer text <p>Poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the United Kingdom. Children are more vulnerable to the effects from air pollution exposure than adults due to their incomplete lung development, high physical activity and breathing rates, as well as lower height which increases exposure to traffic pollution.</p><p>The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has studied children’s exposure to air pollution in outdoor school environments in England. In 2017, around one third of schools in England, representing around 3.4 million pupils, were located in areas with fine particulate matter (PM<sub>2.5</sub>) exceeding the World Health Organization’s previous guideline of PM<sub>2.5</sub> of 10 µg/m<sup>3</sup>.</p><p>Long-term exposure to air pollution can suppress lung function growth in children. Children can be at risk from respiratory problems such as wheezing, asthma and respiratory infections, and reduced cognitive performance.</p><p>UKHSA has a Clean Air Programme which aims to reduce people’s exposure to air pollution, particularly the most vulnerable groups, including children. A copy of UKHSA’s ‘Chemical Hazards and Poisons Report’ of June 2022 is available at the following link:</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1083447/CHaPR_AQ_Special_Edition_2206116.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1083447/CHaPR_AQ_Special_Edition_2206116.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency Lewes answering member printed Maria Caulfield question first answered 03/04/2023 11:50:02 answering member 4492 label Biography information for Maria Caulfield
tabling member	4653 label Biography information for Stephen Morgan

1491207

registered interest
date	20/07/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Air Pollution: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of children in England who (a) live in and (b) go to school in areas where the level of air pollutants has increased in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, West Derby
tabling member printed	Ian Byrne
uin	40988
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 05/09/2022 answer text <p>Defra completes an annual compliance assessment against the Air Quality Standards Regulations, providing an overview of air pollution across 43 zones in the UK. An assessment of data from 2021 will be published in September, while an assessment of 2022 will be published in September 2023. All annual assessments published to date can be found on our UK-Air website at: <a href="https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/library/annualreport/index" target="_blank">Air Pollution in the UK report - Defra, UK</a></p> answering member constituency St Austell and Newquay answering member printed Steve Double grouped question UIN 40989 question first answered 05/09/2022 06:37:02 answering member 4452 label Biography information for Steve Double
tabling member	4831 label Biography information for Ian Byrne

1416882

registered interest
date	26/01/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Air Pollution: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of nitrogen oxide levels on children’s health as at 26 January 2022.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, West Derby
tabling member printed	Ian Byrne
uin	112711
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2022 answer text <p>We know air pollution is a particular threat to vulnerable groups, including children. Our Clean Air Strategy sets out an ambitious programme of action to reduce air pollution from a wide range of sources. Our Environment Act also makes a clear commitment to set ambitious targets for fine particulate matter, the pollutant of most concern for human health.</p><p> </p><p>The Government receives objective and independent advice from a number of air pollution and health experts on the impact of pollution on health, in particular the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants which keeps emerging evidence under regular review. We also receive advice from the UK Health Security Agency and the Department for Health and Social Care.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 112712 question first answered 31/01/2022 17:54:39 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4831 label Biography information for Ian Byrne

1416884

registered interest
date	26/01/2022
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Air Pollution: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of current levels of fine particulate matter PM2.5 on children’s health.
tabling member constituency	Liverpool, West Derby
tabling member printed	Ian Byrne
uin	112712
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2022 answer text <p>We know air pollution is a particular threat to vulnerable groups, including children. Our Clean Air Strategy sets out an ambitious programme of action to reduce air pollution from a wide range of sources. Our Environment Act also makes a clear commitment to set ambitious targets for fine particulate matter, the pollutant of most concern for human health.</p><p> </p><p>The Government receives objective and independent advice from a number of air pollution and health experts on the impact of pollution on health, in particular the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants which keeps emerging evidence under regular review. We also receive advice from the UK Health Security Agency and the Department for Health and Social Care.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill grouped question UIN 112711 question first answered 31/01/2022 17:54:39 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4831 label Biography information for Ian Byrne

1344737

registered interest
date	07/07/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Air Pollution: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to minimise the impact of air pollution on children’s development.
tabling member constituency	Huddersfield
tabling member printed	Mr Barry Sheerman
uin	28951
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/07/2021 answer text <p>We know air pollution is a particular threat to vulnerable groups, including the elderly, the very young and those with existing health conditions such as asthma. Our Clean Air Strategy sets out an ambitious programme of action to reduce air pollution from a wide range of sources.</p><p>The Environment Bill will establish a duty to set two legally binding targets on PM <sub>2.5</sub>: a minimum concentration limit and a new population exposure reduction target. We will consult on these targets in early 2022. These two targets will drive action at the local level, as well as nationally, to improve air quality for everyone.</p><p>In addition, we have committed to reviewing the National Air Quality Strategy (including the Local Air Quality Management Framework) with a key objective of promoting and supporting greater local action to identify and address air pollution inequalities, targeting action at vulnerable groups and communities.</p><p>The Government is also committed to improving public awareness of air pollution and to improve the provision of air quality data and information on the UK Air website. We have started a comprehensive review of the Daily Air Quality Index, to enhance the advice when pollution levels are elevated.</p><p>The Department of Health and Social Care continues to engage with organisations such as Health Education England and the Royal Colleges to ensure that healthcare professionals are equipped to provide information and advice to those vulnerable to the health impacts of air pollution. This will allow patients and their carers to take steps to reduce their exposure to air pollution and give them greater power to manage their condition. The Chief Medical Officer has also discussed this matter with the Royal Colleges. Furthermore, the NHS has a Long Term Plan to improve asthma outcomes for children and young people. The Children and Young People's Transformation Programme has asked local systems to prioritise local improvements in asthma care. This will include supporting clinicians to discuss the short- and long-term adverse effects of air pollution on children with asthma and any mitigation strategies.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow grouped question UIN 28952 28959 question first answered 16/07/2021 13:14:57 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	411 label Biography information for Mr Barry Sheerman

1337339

registered interest
date	16/06/2021
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Air Pollution: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the effect of air pollution on children’s health.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	16951
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/06/2021 answer text <p>My Rt Hon Friend the Environment Secretary and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care work closely together on issues related to air pollution, which poses the biggest environmental threat to public health. Children are particularly vulnerable to its effects.</p><p>Defra officials have also had extensive discussions with their counterparts at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Public Health England (PHE) on the relationship between air quality and health, including child health.</p><p>Defra officials will continue to engage regularly with DHSC, PHE, the research community and others on this matter. The improvement of air quality remains a top priority for the government.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 25/06/2021 13:24:45 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1136955

registered interest
date	04/07/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Air Pollution: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect children from the effect of toxic air on their health.
tabling member constituency	North Herefordshire
tabling member printed	Bill Wiggin
uin	273347
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>The pollutants found in air are not themselves toxic but can cause irritation and their effect can have consequences which exacerbate particular conditions. The Government is committed to tackling air pollution, including reducing impacts on vulnerable groups such as children. We have put in place a £3.5billion plan to improve air quality and reduce harmful emissions and on 14 January 2019, we announced our new world leading Clean Air Strategy, which includes new and ambitious goals, legislation, investment and policies which will help us to clean up our air faster and more effectively. The World Health Organisation has praised the strategy as ‘an example for the rest of the world to follow’.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 15/07/2019 16:27:02 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1428 label Biography information for Sir Bill Wiggin

1129680

registered interest
date	04/06/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Air Pollution: Children
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2011 to Question HL14975, what the timeframe is for his Department to conclude its consideration of the UNICEF report entitled Healthy Air for Healthy Children; whether he plans to publish a response to that report; and what steps he is taking to ensure that personal air quality (a) monitors and (b) messaging systems will be made available to inform the public.
tabling member constituency	South Cambridgeshire
tabling member printed	Heidi Allen
uin	260082
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2019 answer text <p>The Department is aware of the Healthy Air for Healthy Children report. There are no plans to formally review the methodology and conclusions nor publish a response to the report.</p><p> </p><p>Through the Air Quality Grant more than £3 million of government funding has been awarded to 28 innovative projects to improve air quality across local authorities in England. This includes funding to trial new technology to test the effectiveness of low-cost sensors to better understand the air quality data they produce.</p><p> </p><p>Air Quality forecasts and information are already published on the Defra UKAIR website. We are undertaking further work to understand the range of different audiences for air quality information, the differing requirements of those audiences, and how air quality information needs to be tailored to meet those different audiences’ needs.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 12/06/2019 15:33:28 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	4516 label Biography information for Heidi Allen

1110138

registered interest
date	08/04/2019
answering body	Department of Health and Social Care
answering dept id	17
answering dept short name	Health and Social Care
answering dept sort name	Health and Social Care
hansard heading	Air Pollution: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) short-term, and (2) long-term, risks of air pollution to children's health.
tabling member printed	The Earl of Listowel
uin	HL15106
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>Exposure to air pollution has various health effects on children. Short term effects of air pollution include worsening of asthma symptoms, cough, wheezing and shortness of breath. Long-term exposure can cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and cancer, leading to reduced life expectancy. Children are more susceptible to the effects of air pollution than adults.</p><p>The effects of air pollution on children’s health are being studied in a number of research projects. For example, the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants has started reviewing the evidence on adverse birth outcomes from air pollution. In addition, the Exploration of Health and Lungs in the Environment (EXHALE) programme, funded by the National Institute for Health Research, focuses on air pollution and children’s lung health in London.</p> answering member printed Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford question first answered 24/04/2019 11:34:55 answering member 4019 label Biography information for Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
tabling member	2054 label Biography information for The Earl of Listowel

1110139

registered interest
date	08/04/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Air Pollution: Children
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking, if any, to address the (1) short-term, and (2) long-term, risks of air pollution to children's health.
tabling member printed	The Earl of Listowel
uin	HL15107
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/04/2019 answer text <p>All of the measures set out in the Clean Air Strategy will reduce emissions of pollution, improving public health for children.</p><p> </p><p>In the short term, the Government has a plan to improve air quality and reduce harmful emissions with funding of £3.5 billion, which includes £495 million for local councils to improve air quality. Part of this funding is specifically for local authorities with very high NO2 emissions to bid for.</p><p> </p><p>Local authorities are best placed to target action to improve local air quality. The Government’s air quality grant programme provides funding to local authorities for projects in local communities to tackle air pollution and reduce emissions, which may include action targeting schools. Defra has awarded over £57 million in funding since the air quality grant started in 1997. A further £3 million has been allocated for 2018/19.</p><p> </p><p>In the long term, some of the measures the Government are taking include ending the sale of new diesel and petrol cars and vans by 2040. The Road to Zero strategy sets out new measures to help us achieve our 2040 mission. The Department for Transport has also announced that diesel-fuelled trains will no longer be used by 2040.</p><p> </p><p>Other measures are included in the Clean Air Strategy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 24/04/2019 16:21:05 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
tabling member	2054 label Biography information for The Earl of Listowel