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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions (a) he, (b) Ministers and (c) officials of his Department have had with small and medium businesses in Nottingham on the financial effect of proposed clean air zones and associated air quality measures.

Defra has not had direct discussions with small and medium-sized businesses in Nottingham about the financial effect of clean air zones.

The Government assessed the impacts of charging Clean Air Zones on businesses nationally in the 2016 impact assessment. This did not look at the impacts on Nottingham in isolation. The UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations and documents associated with it, such as the Clean Air Zone framework, were consulted on several times, inviting relevant stakeholders to submit their views.

As set out in the UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations, it is the responsibility of local authorities such as Nottingham to, as part of their feasibility studies, assess the impact a local plan could have on individuals and businesses, including through an economic impact assessment and a distributional and equalities impact analysis. This includes consultation of relevant stakeholders where appropriate.