Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a Palestinian Visa scheme based upon the Ukraine Visa scheme that allows those with family in the UK to be given safe passage.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
The UK Government is monitoring the situation in Israel and Gaza closely to ensure that it is able to respond appropriately.
We recognise that some people impacted by the events in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories may wish to join family in the UK. The Government is working with authorities across the region to facilitate the repatriation of British citizens and their family members who already hold permission to come to the UK.
There are currently no plans to introduce bespoke arrangements for people arriving from the region who do not hold permission to come to the UK.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help ensure that children in school are not exposed to high levels of air pollution.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department has published the Building Bulletin 101, which provides non-statutory guidance on ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in schools. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-bulletin-101-ventilation-for-school-buildings.
Local outdoor air quality is the responsibility of local authorities who should prepare air quality action plans to ensure the level of pollutants is reduced. In January 2019, the government published the Clean Air Strategy setting out plans to deal with all sources of pollution. This is accessible at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/clean-air-strategy-2019.
Guidance on good estate management for ventilation in schools is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/good-estate-management-for-schools/health-and-safety.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether protocols exist to warn the (a) general public and (b) susceptible individuals during periods of high levels of air pollution.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government makes a wide range of information available to the public through the UK-Air website and X feed. This includes a five-day forecast, the latest local measurements from our nationwide monitoring networks, and health advice informed by the work of the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants.
Air quality forecasts are communicated using the Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI). The DAQI informs the public about levels of air pollution in their area and provides health advice in the form of recommended actions that could be taken according to the level of air pollution for both the general public and susceptible individuals.
As part of the Air Quality Information System review, we are conducting an evaluation assessing the appropriateness and effectiveness of the current DAQI.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the report from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology entitled Indoor Air Quality, published on 26 September 2023.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department publishes non-statutory guidance on indoor air quality in ‘Building Bulletin 101: Guidelines on ventilation, thermal comfort and indoor air quality in school’ (BB101).
BB101 is regularly reviewed to ensure that it aligns with best practice and industry standards to deliver high-quality school environments. The department will assess the report of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology (POST) for any relevant new information.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what reviews he has undertaken on the adequacy of the Clean Air Act 1993 since the Review of the Clean Air Act Call for Evidence Summary of Responses, published in July 2014.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Since the Review of the Clean Air Act Call for Evidence Summary of Responses was published, we have passed the Environment Act 2021.
This legislation updated our comprehensive legal framework, including by amending the Clean Air Act 1993. The Environmental Improvement Plan published in January 2023 sets out the further actions we will take to reduce emissions, including from domestic sources and industry.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure compliance with (a) legal limits and (b) targets for (i) benzo[a]pyrene, (ii) nickel, (iii) nitrogen dioxide, (iv) ozone and (v) particulate matter.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are delivering a wide range of actions to drive improvements to air quality:
We continually measure ambient concentrations of a wide range of air pollutants, including ozone, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, particles, hydrocarbons, and metallic pollutants at over 500 urban, suburban, roadside, industrial and rural locations throughout the UK. In September 2023 we published the Air Pollution in the UK 2022 report providing the most comprehensive and complete analytical picture of the UK’s air pollution during 2022, at Air Pollution in the UK report - Defra, UK.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that the report entitled Assessment of the effectiveness of measures under the Clean Air Act 1993, published on 20 July 2012, is updated to include (a) modern fuels and (b) technologies.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have no current plans to update the named report.
Through the Environment Act 2021, we updated our comprehensive legal framework, including by amending the Clean Air Act 1993. The Environmental Improvement Plan published in January 2023 sets out the further actions we will take to reduce emissions, including from domestic sources and industry.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the report from the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology entitled Indoor Air Quality, published on 26 September 2023.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Department takes note of the report.
The Department is aware of the impacts of domestic cooking appliances on indoor air quality. In particular, we are currently considering the impacts of potential updates to Ecodesign and energy labelling requirements for domestic cooking appliances, including the societal benefits of reduced asthma rates caused by an increased use of electric cooking appliances reducing amounts of NOx and small particulates in the home. The published report reinforces the importance of retaining these benefits as a key consideration in ongoing policy development in this area.
The Department is also a member of the cross-Government Working Group on indoor air quality which is led by Defra. We will continue to ensure that the Department is represented in that group.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to page 40 of Ventilation: Approved Document F of the Building Regulations 2010, published in June 2022, if he will update table B1 using the World Health Organisation’s air quality guidelines published in September 2021.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Department has a wide and reforming programme to improve the quality and liveability of the housing stock within the United Kingdom. The Government’s policies have been set out and we will bring forward any new proposals in due course.
We welcome all contributions to the public debate on building quality, building use and building safety.
Asked by: Geraint Davies (Independent - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the interventions listed in section 6.2 of the UK Parliament POST brief entitled Indoor Air Quality, published on 26 September 2023.
Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)
The Department has a wide and reforming programme to improve the quality and liveability of the housing stock within the United Kingdom. The Government’s policies have been set out and we will bring forward any new proposals in due course.
We welcome all contributions to the public debate on building quality, building use and building safety.