Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government has produced an impact assessment on the setting of UK limits for particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide levels above those in WHO guidance.

An Impact Assessment was carried out in 2010 when the UK transposed the EU Ambient Air Quality Directive 2008/50/EC into UK Legislation, the 'Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010'. These Regulations set limit values for particulate matter and nitrogen dioxide concentrations. This Impact Assessment can be found at the following URL: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2010/1001/impacts

We are taking an evidence-led process to set our new air quality targets through the Environment Act 2021 (applicable to England). An Impact Assessment will be published as part of the upcoming public consultation on this and other targets under the Act.