Air Pollution

(asked on 16th June 2021) - View Source

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of public awareness of the sources of information on national and local pollution levels.


Answered by
Rebecca Pow Portrait
Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This question was answered on 25th June 2021

On 10 June 2021, Defra published its latest research on the needs for air quality data and information. The research found that the majority of the public do not actively seek air quality information, but those who do so are more likely to have health vulnerabilities. When prompted, the public identified a need for clear, actionable information to be available regularly and at a local level. A need for tailored health advice to help manage the effects of poor air quality on health was also identified. Those surveyed also expressed an interest in receiving information as part of a weather forecast and being able to access health advice online.

The findings from this research have already been used to influence the design and content of the Clean Air Hub website and as part our continued work with media organisations to make air quality information more readily accessible.

The Government is committed to doing much more to improve public awareness of air pollution and in our response to the Coroners Prevention of Future Deaths report, following the inquest related to Ella Adoo Kissi-Debrah, we have set out the immediate actions we will take to improve the provision of air quality data and information. This includes a comprehensive review of the UK-Air website and the Daily Air Quality Index. We will be increasing the funding pot available to local authorities in this years Local Authority Air Quality Grant by £6M. A large proportion of this additional funding will be targeted to support further action to improve public awareness in their communities.

Alongside this, we will continue to engage with broadcasters, social media companies, and other media outlets, to look at ways to improve communication on air quality. We will also continue to work with a range of stakeholders and partners, including Global Action Plan, the Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Partnership, and the British Heart Foundation to provide clear messages about the risks of air pollution and the actions people can take in response to high levels of air pollution.

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