Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on air quality of the construction of a third runway at Heathrow.

The Government believes that the Heathrow Northwest Runway scheme can be delivered without impacting on the UK’s compliance with air quality limit values, given the measures set out in the Government’s air quality plan, and with a suitable package of mitigation measures taken forward by the promoter.

Should the revised draft Airports National Policy Statement be designated, then it would be for the promoter to undertake a detailed assessment of the air quality impacts of the scheme, including during construction, and put forward to the Planning Inspectorate an appropriate package of mitigations that address air quality impacts and demonstrate compliance with air quality obligations.

In order to grant development consent, the Secretary of State would need to be satisfied that, with mitigation, the scheme would be compliant with legal obligations.