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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department provides to local authorities on the restriction of vehicle exhaust fumes close to school premises at the opening and closing times of those premises.

Local authorities have powers regarding traffic and roads. This includes the power to introduce a Clean Air Zone under the Transport Act 2000 should they wish to do so. Their local knowledge and interaction with the communities that they serve mean that they are better able to know the issues on ground in detail, and the solutions that may be necessary or appropriate to the locality.

In England, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) sets out the national policy framework for tackling harmful air pollution. Local measures, such as those aimed at reducing exposure around schools, are taken by local authorities to whom air quality actions are delegated.

The Government provides guidance, including helpdesk advice, to local authorities to assist them in carrying out their local air quality management responsibilities. Where local authorities conduct air quality monitoring, they are expected to site monitors in accordance with local and national priorities, which may include schools and other locations where there is high risk of public exposure.