Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to support research into interventions to protect people with (a) cystic fibrosis and (b) other respiratory conditions from the effects of poor air quality.

I refer the Hon Member to the Government’s information on air pollution, available at the links below, which examine these and other issues in detail. For further information on the impacts of poor air quality on health, see the following three links:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/heat-summary-chapter-4-outdoor-air-pollution-and-health

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/respiratory-conditions-caused-by-airborne-allergens

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/chief-medical-officers-annual-report-2022-air-pollution

And for further information on the public health advice on air pollution, see the following two links:

https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/research/aq-system-review/publications

https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2025/06/19/what-the-evidence-says-about-interventions-to-reduce-pollution-and-improve-lives/

The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) Cleaner Air Programme supports research and evidence gathering on the health impacts of air pollution and works alongside the independent Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, which advises the Government on these issues. Further information can be found at the following two links:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1083447/CHaPR_AQ_Special_Edition_2206116.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/comeap-long-term-exposure-to-air-pollution-and-chronic-bronchitis

The UKHSA submitted written evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee, reference AIR005, on an inquiry about outdoor and indoor air quality targets, with further information available at the following link:

https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/121559/pdf/